May 8, 2019
Dear Parents and Students,
We have had reports of a student threatening a school shooting and we’ve fully investigated the situation. We have found these rumors to be unfounded. The alleged individual has been cleared of any suspicion and there is no threat to our building, our students or our community.
Yesterday a student reported a rumor he heard about a student wanting to “shoot up the school.” After some investigating, this is the situation as we know it:
During JV softball practice last week, a player was talking to her teammates about a dream she had about a school shooting. Another player said she also had a dream about the same thing. A third team member chimed in and said she’s reading a book called The Hate List and then others talked about the date “5/11” and discussed some “theories” about what could happen.
This week, Monday, a student was found with a bullet keychain and a vessel that contained the ashes of a loved one that was in the shape of a bullet. The student in possession verified there were ashes in one and the other was hollow. It was determined that there was no threat. The following day, students started talking about how this particular student was going to “shoot up the school” on Friday. Students later reported that they didn’t hear this student say he was going to “shoot up the school,” nor could they confirm that accusation.
The police were contacted and verified that this incident was not a true threat and the accusations could not be substantiated.
As always, we continue to remain vigilant when it comes to school safety and we vow to look into every incident that comes to our attention. Please talk to your children about verifying correct information before spreading rumors that may be false and damaging as well as reporting these rumors to the proper authorities in person, by anonymous text using the Herd Hotline, or by using the state supported Okay2Say platform.
Sincerely,
Stacey DeMaio Brian Pruett
Principal Assistant Principal
