PRANKS PUT SCHOOLS ON ALERT; PHONY BOMB THREATS TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY SINCE LITTLETON.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

As investigators wrap up their work at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 15 people died in last month's massacre, Ventura County officials are faced in the aftermath with problems rippling through local campuses.

In the past three weeks, a handful of Ventura County students, ages 12 to 18, have been arrested, most on suspicion of making false bomb or terrorist threats in incidents that helped spark rumors and fuel waves of panic all over the county.

``Personally, within the District Attorney's Office in Ventura County, we haven't seen this type of activity ever in response to prior nationally publicized school violence incidents,'' said prosecutor Miles Weiss, who oversees juvenile cases. ``And we definitely have not seen this level of threatening conduct or words from kids out at the schools.''

School and law enforcement officials attribute the spike in arrests to immature teens who don't realize they could face a year in juvenile hall for making prank bomb threats, combined with extreme vigilance on the part of school officials and police who are in no position to take chances.

``It doesn't matter if you're joking,'' Weiss said. ``In fact, that's the whole point of the charge - you're making a false bomb threat. And if you make that joke, you're also committing a crime, and you're probably going to end up in juvenile hall.''

Among those arrested:

A 15-year-old Newbury Park High School student on suspicion of making terrorist threats after police said he posted threats on the school Web site.

Two 17-year-old students at Moorpark Community High School on suspicion of making bomb threats in separate incidents at the school.

A 12-year-old student at Mesa Verde Middle School in Moorpark on suspicion of making bomb threats after police said he threatened to bring a bomb to school.

Two Fillmore Middle School students, ages 14 and 15, charged with attempting to make false bomb reports.

An 18-year-old Hueneme High School student on suspicion of explosive possession after police said pipe bombs were found at his home.

Already horrified by the televised scenes coming out of Littleton, Colo., local teens are traumatized by the thought that something like the Columbine massacre could happen at their schools - and the threats play to those fears, officials said.

``These other kids who are trying to get attention think, wow, look how much attention this is getting from the media and the schools and the other kids who are being scared from it,'' said Deputy Julie Smith, the community policing officer in Moorpark. ``It's brought out this snowball effect. They think that it's funny, and they don't realize how serious it's being taken right now.''

Just last week, for instance, Moorpark police investigated rumors of impending school violence. Soon, eight schools were fielding calls from parents wanting to pull their children out of class, although the reports of violence were determined to be false.

The wave of rumors came just two days after the Moorpark Unified School District held a community forum to talk about the need to separate rumor from reality. Additional meetings are planned.

``It's the rumors that are getting out of control that are scaring parents,'' said Smith, who encouraged parents to communicate with their children and underscore the problems involved with making prank threats.

Yet it's difficult to stem the hysteria that comes from rumors - ranging from planned bombings to students carrying guns - that seem to spring from nowhere and sweep through campuses in no time at all.

There were widespread reports, all unfounded, of violence planned to coincide with the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's suicide on April 30. On that day, nearly 30 percent of the 1,800 high school students in the Conejo Valley Unified School District stayed away from campus.

In an effort to stem fears of students and teachers, officials throughout Ventura County are holding public forums and discussing safety at school board meetings.

Newbury Park High School has banned the type of black trench coats worn by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the gunmen in the Columbine massacre, and students in Ojai and Oxnard also were asked not to wear the coats.

Authorities in Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks are beefing up the police presence at local schools, with security guards patrolling Conejo Valley high schools at night.

Thousand Oaks also has created a task force to handle threats, while the Moorpark Unified School District has created a school safety hotline.

``Parents really need to be open and have good communication going with your children. You need to let them know of the severity of the consequences about making that kind of statement right now and how it's important that we all kind of let this go so we can feel safe again.''