By Cate Meister
Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) principal Paul Lopez announced the school’s decision to cancel the annual Aloha Dance in response to receiving notice of a potential threat on Friday, Sept. 17.
In an initial email acknowledging the threat, Lopez reassured students and parents with the implementation of extra security measures such as checking students at the door and having police presence on campus during the event. The message also gave students who felt uncomfortable with attending the dance a refund option.
However, in a follow-up email and after continued work with the Fountain Valley Police Department (FVPD), Lopez announced the decision to cancel the dance.
“Out of abundance of caution, we want to make sure we keep our students safe,” Lopez wrote.
The FVHS administration has not yet released any more information on the matter.
While the threat is currently unspecified, a message stating “I’m shooting up the Aloha Dance” was written in a boys restroom at FVHS, photographed, and circulated via social media.
It is unclear whether the Aloha Dance, or a replacement event, will be rescheduled. The Aloha Dance typically serves as a welcoming dance for incoming freshmen and returning students. The 2021-2022 Aloha Dance would have been the first school dance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, Sept. 20, students returned safely to school. The school also made the decision to proceed with Back to School Night, noting that the threat was specific to the Aloha Dance.
“The threat made last week was directly related to the dance. We will continue to investigate the situation with [FVPD],” Lopez wrote in an email.
Baron Banner will continue to update this story as we receive more information.
