As of 2023, there have been over 20 school shooting threats circulating social media in Nevada alone. As of the entire United States, there have been way more than that. At Spring Valley, there have been two school shooting threats during 2023. The first being in March, and the second being this month, May.

The people that decide to make these threats don’t realize that they are making people scared to go to school. They don’t even feel safe at the place that they are meant to receive the education that they deserve.

“I feel as if people are not as motivated anymore,” sophomore Alexa Aquino-Alcantar said. “I feel like this because lots of people are not going to school as often anymore because they are scared,’ Aquino-Alcantar said.

The threat that was made during this month was directed to all Las Vegas high schools. The threat also included that there would be 14 other people involved in the action. The woman that made this threat was supposedly from Florida, and has been put in custody, but there aren’t enough sources to really know if this is deemed true or not.

“I think the people that make these threats are really despicable people,” sophomore Alisa Haber said. “Whether it’s a joke or not, people could die from this and making so many people scared from this is an awful thing to do,” Haber said

The threats that people decide to make not only affect others’ education, but these threats affect the mental health of students. 

“I do believe myself to be more paranoid,” sophomore Alexa Aquino-Alcantar said. “I am a little  more scared to even go to the bathroom now, worried that one day they might say that we are in a hard lockdown,” Aquino-Alcantar said.

Law enforcement has been made aware of the threats that people have been making. They have also been making the effort to keep society calm during these times by making social media posts stating, “CCSD & CCSDPD are aware of threats being spread valley wide via social media. We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to identify the source. All threats are unsubstantiated at this time. Anyone making false threats is subject to arrest in NV.”

These posts and announcements that CCSD is making can be a sense of reassurance for parents and kids. These threats can even make parents feel afraid to send their kids to school during this time. The days that these threats are “supposed to happen,” a majority of the kids are not going to school.

“I honestly think that people are making these threats to see what happens or to see if they can get away with it,” sophomore Kamell Johnson said. “All students know that bringing a weapon of any kind to school will result in them getting expelled from school, but some of them choose to make threats and bring those items to school anyway,” Johnson said.

Mass shootings, in general, are a real problem in the United States. In 2023 alone, there have been over 250 mass shootings in the U.S. There have been many protests all over the U.S. of people fighting for gun control laws to be passed in the United States. There have been more shootings in the first three months of this year than the entirety of 2022.

“I think school shootings are a rampant problem in this country that isn’t being taken as seriously as it should,” Haber said. “I know there is attention on it and measures in place, but it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough, to me at least, as a student who has to live with this looming threat over my head every day,” Haber said.