Rio Rancho High School briefly placed on lockdown

Rio Rancho Police Department learned of an unconfirmed threat of violence directed toward Rio Rancho High School around 3 p.m. Wednesday. As it was an early-release day, school was not in session.

The school was placed on a lockout as a precaution while officers investigated the incident; students and faculty still on campus for extracurricular activities were evacuated in an orderly manner by law enforcement.

That evening, Rio Rancho Public Schools emailed its staff members, informing them of the incident.

“There were no threats against any other schools,” the email read. “Out of an abundance of caution, some school activities and events throughout the district were canceled for the evening.

“Multiple law enforcement agencies responded and came together throughout the afternoon to investigate the threat. In addition, K-9, SWAT and bomb teams searched and cleared RRHS.

“The threat appears to have originated from out of state, and there is no evidence that the threat is credible.”

Noting that the threat was directed at RRHS, the district “received some concerns from other schools. Rest assured, should we receive a threat against your school or have a concern for your safety, you will be notified immediately.”

“We certainly understand concerns and want to reassure students, parents and staff that safety is a top priority,” read the email. “We work very hard to keep our schools safe and appreciate the quick response and dedication of our law enforcement agencies and our safety and security department.”

Today,  Dec. 8, there was an increased presence of law enforcement patrolling schools in the morning.

There would be another threat

And Thursday saw another threat, with RRPS informing staffers just before 3 p.m., “Rio Rancho High School received yet another threat that was called in via the same number as yesterday’s and this morning’s threat. Though we do not have any evidence that the threat is credible, our partners at the RRPD, along with our Safety and Security Department, are present and monitoring the campus. All efforts are being made to continue to ensure the safety of students and staff, and classes are continuing as scheduled.”