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Fake student prank adds real confusion and rattled nerves to an edgy Friday

  • Writer: Clarion Staff
    Clarion Staff
  • Sep 16, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Sep 16, 2024


The C-Wing lockers facing Kennedy's main quad, where a prank upset students on Friday, September 13.

Students and staff at Kennedy High started Friday the 13th enduring threats to the school from social media, then facing the fallout from a student prank during Lunch A that simulated sounds of gunfire.


The former turned out to be a hoax -- one aimed at schools throughout the region and across the country. The latter was also fake, but caused real fear and concern among many students. By the final bell at 3:27PM, attendance in classes was noticeably lower due to students leaving campus early.


First came the school threats, which spread quickly through social media. By 11:18AM, Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) sent a message via ParentSquare to assure families across the district that "there are not credible threats" and that the troubling messages appeared "to be related to a nationwide social media trend."

Text of the message to district familes sent by SCUSD via ParentSquare, just after 11:00AM on September 13, 2024.

Then, during Lunch A -- which lasts from 11:39AM to 12:15PM -- a series of loud pops was heard at the edge of the main quad near the C-Wing lockers. Students ran from the area during the commotion, and many fled to open classrooms per lockdown routines. They appeared confused, uncertain, and even visibly upset.


"Shortly after I heard the loud bangs," said Kennedy junior Isaiah Merdado, "followed by screaming and a deluge of people running out of school, my brother [and I] found ourselves sprinting out of the school from the front entrance. Within a minute I was at the Lutheran Church with about 40-50 other students. There I saw a variety of reactions to the situation: people crying, cursing, yelling, etc. It was all very sad to see unfolding within the span of a few minutes."


Students were then told that it was a prank, and returned to campus and class -- although many like Mercado got early dismissals.


"I was disgusted that kids -- after the non credible threats against schools nationwide, and the tragic shooting in Georgia this month -- would even consider committing such a cruel prank," Mercado said. "Why do I, in a first-world country, even have to consider the possibility that someone could shoot up a school?"


In a message sent to the Kennedy community just before 2:00PM, Principal Regi Brown expressed his "profound disappointment about an incident that happened during lunch today."


"Despite knowing the heightened fear their classmates may have [because of the earlier social media threats]," his message continued, "a group of students ... chose to stomp on milk cartons and pop them simultaneously in an effort to mimic the sound of gunshots. This senseless and ill-timed prank caused a large number of students to flee in fear, including some who left campus altogether."


In a follow-up message sent on Sunday, September 15, Principal Brown addressed "the tumultuous events of Friday."


"We have now identified all the students involved in the situation that caused so much confusion and commotion," he said. "We are actively collaborating with law enforcement to address any additional online threats. We deeply appreciate the students who came forward with information to their teachers and our administration, rather than spreading rumors on social media. Misinformation can easily escalate anxiety, and we rely on our community to help [prevent] the spread of rumors."


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