Ahwatukee parents concerned with multiple social media threats at Mountain Pointe High School

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Some parents and students in Ahwatukee are on edge following multiple online threats about violence on campus. Mountain Pointe High School is now stepping up security measures by checking kids’ IDs and backpacks and using metal detectors.

“I see fear in her. She has a right to be fearful,” said one parent. Phoenix Police is investigating but says no arrests have been made, and the threats are unsubstantiated at this time. Meanwhile, the school went into lockdown on Monday after a gunfight broke out at a gas station down the street. Parents tell Arizona’s Family the violence and threats are creating a stressful environment on campus, and kids are afraid to go to class.

“Nobody learns and grows when they are in that state of mind,” said teen therapist Vanessa Baker. Baker, who works for the nonprofit notMYkid, said even if the threats are unsubstantiated, they still have a genuine impact on children’s mental health. “They are trained and conditioned to worry about what would happen if something happened,” Baker said. “How would they would be safe? That is very, very scary.”

She said it is important for parents to be open with their kids to help them cope in these situations. “Don’t say ‘you are overreacting, this won’t happen to you,’ or minimize what it is,” Baker explained. “Then the kid goes from feeling not safe at school to not safe in a conversation or relationship with their parent because no one understands.” Baker said she’s encouraging parents to come from a place of compassion to understand and validate their child, not try to fix or deny their fears.

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