About 425 Sabino High School students decided to stay home on Halloween after threats of violence led to heightened safety concerns at the school.
The absences came a couple of days after a Sabino freshman was arrested on suspicion of interfering with an educational institution, after he was accused of looking at violent images on a computer.
The arrest was the 14-year-old boy's second within the last month, authorities said.
In late September, school officials and authorities began investigating the boy on suspicion of making threats after he was suspected of telling other students he was going to dress up as a serial killer on Halloween. He was arrested Oct. 10.
On Monday, the boy was arrested again after he was accused of looking at a site last week depicting a mass school shooting, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
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The student has been suspended from school, the district said.
The threats likely led to the numerous absences on Wednesday, said Abel Morado, assistant superintendent of secondary school leadership, which includes supervision of high schools.
"It's a byproduct of people being apprehensive," Morado said.
The number of absences on an average day is about 50 students, he said.
The school has an enrollment of about 1,100 students, according to district records.
District administrators will continue to monitor this incident and plan for any future problems, he said.
"We'll be discussing the issues and make sure a plan is in place," he said.
Contact reporter Jamar Younger at jyounger@azstarnet.com or 573-4115.
