Mater Dei to reopen after closure due to 'credible threat'

Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana will partially reopen Thursday after temporarily closing due to a 'credible threat' made against the institution.

The threat was received on May 31, and as a result, school officials promptly announced that the campus was closed through the rest of the week, and students would turn to an online learning format until Monday. 

Santa Ana Police Department officers had previously considered the threat enough to close campus, though on Wednesday they concluded their investigation, determining that the threat -- made by a former employee and not directed at students -- had been dealt with.

However, after assessing the situation and conferring with law enforcement, Mater Dei officials opted to reopen their offices Thursday, resuming athletics, counseling services and other activities. 

"We are most grateful to the SAPD for their partnership with MDHS in determining that we are in as safe a space as humanly possible, and to our Diocesan personnel for their support as we have worked to determine the most appropriate way forward. As an Administration in collaboration with SAPD, we have therefore determined that it is safe to re-open the campus," Mater Dei President Michael Brennan and Principal Frances Clare said in a statement sent to students, staff and parents Wednesday evening. 

Students were expected to remain home for online learning through Friday, before returning for the final days of the school year on Monday. 

They would be allowed to return Friday for what the school referred to as a "FLEX Day," where any student that needed to meet with faculty would be able to do so. 

The statement also noted that Santa Ana Police Department planned to increase neighborhood patrols, and possibly increase their on-campus presence.

Authorities did not disclose the identity of the former school employee who made the threat, though they did disclose that they were unlikely to press charges against the individual.