Classes started as normal Monday, April 14 at Kentwood High School in Covington after the King County Sheriff’s Office tracked down a person reportedly responsible for posting social media threats about the school over the weekend.
“KCSO (King County Sheriff’s Office) acted on information provided by the FBI, contacted the person believed responsible for posting the threats, and determined the person had no means to carry out the threat,” said Sgt. Val Kelly, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, in a Monday, April 14 email to the Kent Reporter. “KCSO worked collaboratively with the school to share information, to include a strong police/security presence at the school today (Monday).”
Kelly declined to answer specific questions about the threat or the person contacted by the Sheriff’s Office.
“This is an open active investigation, which means there is limited information we can share,” Kelly said.
Kentwood is at 25800 164th Ave. SE, in Covington, but part of the Kent School District. Many of its students live on the East Hill in Kent. The city of Covington contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for police services.
Kentwood Principal Samantha Ketover sent an email Sunday, April 13 to school parents and guardians.
“Recently, schools in our area have been the targets of threats on social media,” Ketover said in an email provided by a district resident to the Kent Reporter. “This weekend, Kentwood and Kent School District were contacted by law enforcement regarding a threat made against Kentwood on social media.
“Our law enforcement partners worked diligently to identify the source of the threat. I do not have specific details to share as I do not want to jeopardize the investigation and follow-up to the investigation.”
Ketover continued.
“Next steps in partnership with local law enforcement will continue and we will hold all students accountable for their actions in accordance with district disciplinary policy and Washington state law,” Ketover said. “Violence, threats of violence, and the presence of weapons in and around our schools are not in any way acceptable.”
Ketover said the community “may observe an increased school safety or law enforcement presence as we continue to work together to address this situation.”
Ketover added its a bigger issue than this most recent incident.
“Not only will we continue to address this individual situation, but we will also continue as a community to address the larger issue of school safety and security. …Only together will we continue to make our school community as safe as possible,” Ketover said.
Multiple incidents
Prior to this social media threat, Kentwood has had at least four incidents since January 2024 of police response and lockdowns to a gun incident. Nobody was hurt in any of the incidents.
Earlier incidents reported in the Kent Reporter include:
• Feb. 28, 2025: School went into lockdown and student taken into custody for reportedly having a gun on campus. A juvenile was booked for unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
• Dec. 6, 2024: School went into a lockdown after a call about someone making threats with a gun. No gun was found, but deputies detained a subject, according to the Sheriff’s Office. It was not confirmed whether a student made the threat.
• Sept. 25, 2024: School went into a lockdown and a female student was detained for reportedly having a gun on campus, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
• Jan. 11, 2024: School went into a brief lockdown after a student reportedly had a pellet gun on campus. Covington Police arrested the student for investigation of possessing a dangerous weapon on school facilities.
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