Family: Girl, 14, gets death threats, school isn't much help

PHELAN, Calif. - A Southern California teenager and her family say she's been getting death threats from a schoolmate, and the school isn't doing enough about it, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The 14-year-old, who is a cheerleader at Serrano High School in Phelan, says she received an anonymous text earlier this month saying she would be murdered at school. The threat even named a specific time, according to the station.

"I was very panicked. I didn't really know what to do or think," the teen told the station.

The teen also claims the person suspected of writing the death threat reached out to her anonymously on a messaging app, too.

The two exchanged messages and the girl eventually learned the person behind the messages was a boy from her school, according to the station. He reportedly claimed the threat was just a joke.

"He finally told me who it was after he said he was suicidal. He said that if he were to get in trouble he was going to be pissed off," the alleged teen victim said.

The teen and her family say the boy was suspended from school for a week but that the punishment should have been more severe.

"I think that he poses a danger not only to my daughter but to possibly other students to maybe himself and other teachers," the alleged victim's father says.

The superintendent of the Snowline School District in Phelan released a statement that reads in part: "Law precludes public school districts from disclosing confidential information regarding specific actions taken in such circumstances. However, the safety of all students in Snowline schools is always paramount in every circumstance."

The alleged victim's father says he plans to transfer his daughter to another school if the boy isn't expelled.