Thursday, October 1, 2026
A verbal threat made by an irate parent against the principal of East Elementary School last Thursday led to a police response and increased security at the school for several days as a precaution.
In a letter sent to parents on April 1 and obtained by the Herald, East School principal Ronni Reimel said that an angry parent threatened her during a telephone conversation, after which she said that she contacted the Long Beach Police Department.
Reimel — who did not provide details about the threat or name the parent who allegedly made it — said police arrived to the school and were on the scene until dismissal as a safety precaution. Reimel said that additional security was assigned to the school, located at 456 Neputune Blvd., for at least several days as a precaution.
In the letter, Reimel said the school implemented safety procedures that included locking all exterior doors and allowing only authorized staff and visitors to enter the building. She said that in spite of the threat, students and adults in the building were not in danger at any time.
“At this point, I do not believe that yesterday’s threat will materialize into action, but we are monitoring the situation closely,” Reimel wrote.
Michael DeVito, the school district’s chief operation officer, said the incident occurred sometime after lunch.
“[The parent] called, and she got angry because there was an issue with her kid, and the principal took a position that the parent wasn’t happy about,” said DeVito, who did not specify the nature of the threat. “I think [the threat] was just made in anger. At this point we don’t think the person is going to go through with it.”
DeVito said that parent visited the school later that afternoon claiming that she wanted to speak to the principal. DeVito said the school was in lockdown — meaning that if there is a potential threat inside the building, classroom doors are locked to make sure people do not get in — and later a lockout in order to keep everyone out of the building.
DeVito said the parent later apologized for the alleged threat and expressed remorse to police on the scene. DeVito said the parent was not arrested, but added that the school had a responsibility to take the threat seriously.
