A Petaluma high school cancels classes over social media post referring to a shooting

A Petaluma high school canceled classes Thursday because of a social media post sent to students that referred to a shooting and contained photos of guns, according to authorities.

Petaluma police got a call Wednesday night from St. Vincent High School administrators regarding the post, which was received by two students, according to a news release from the police department.

Police do not believe there was any credible threat.

But the school decided to cancel classes Thursday out of an abundance of caution, police said. The social media post didn’t reference any location in Petaluma or a specific school.

A St. Vincent spokesperson said that a teacher was contacted by a student Wednesday night about a Snapchat message containing three pictures of handguns and one rifle. The account, created under the username “travis jaidon70” has since been deactivated.

Police were alerted and interviewed the student who got the message, learning that another student had also received the same message.

“We will side with caution in the safety and welfare of our students, faculty and staff,” the spokesperson said.

Police are investigating, authorities said. A similar incident occurred in June in Petaluma involving a social media post that came from outside the state. A suspect was arrested in connection with that post.

“We continue to collaborate with administrators from both St. Vincent High School and other school districts in Petaluma and appreciate their partnership in keeping our students safe,” Petaluma police said in the release. “We want to thank the public for their continued vigilance in reporting suspicious behavior.”