Possible school threat keeps some OC students home

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. (KABC) -- A possible threat to an Orange County elementary school had some parents playing it safe by keeping their kids home on Monday.

Parents of students at Oak Grove Elementary School received a minute-and-a-half recorded phone message Sunday night that said in part: "We have been working closely with the Orange County Sheriff's Department to assess the credibility of a threat that involved our school."

Capistrano Unified School District officials will only say the threat came in Friday afternoon and the investigation is ongoing.

With no more specifics, many parents are frustrated.

"They couldn't tell us anything," said parent Amy Brennan. "What the threat was, any details, but that they felt the school was safe enough to be open."

Orange County sheriff's deputies stood at each entrance of the school and patrols made frequent trips around the area on Monday.

Still, district officials insist there's nothing to be worried about.

"You'll see an increased police presence today out of an abundance of caution, but we're anticipating zero impact outside of that to the school day," said Stephen Nichols, Capistrano Unified School District.

Between the police presence and the threat, some parents decided it was better to keep their kids off the campus.

In one class of 30, nine kids stayed home.

Some didn't come at all, while other parents hurried to pick up their students at lunch.

"I was debating whether to take her out or whether not to, but I think the school's pretty well-secured right now," said grandparent Linda Tisbo.

The whole situation is leaving many parents uneasy, made worse by recent threats at other Orange County schools.

"It's something we would just see on TV and now that it's so close to home, it is your home, it is your school, you can't even describe the feeling," said Brennan.

The district says no after-school activities have been canceled.

One mother of a student says she was told by an officer that sheriff's deputies would likely be on campus Tuesday as well.