Update on Safety Concern

Laker Family,

As a follow-up to my earlier communication, I wanted to share a few more details about how yesterday’s incident unfolded and the steps that were taken to resolve it.

At approximately 3 p.m. members of our teaching staff were notified by students that a fellow student had made harmful threats. The teaching staff immediately notified the dean of students, a school counselor, and the principal. The principal was able to locate the student quickly and removed him from contact with any other students. Our trained licensed personnel on the risk assessment team evaluated the situation and deemed there to be no credible threat at that time. The student’s parents were called and the student was removed from school property. 

The superintendent’s office was notified the following morning and immediately released communication to parents and staff. Once notified, we held meetings with students in grades 7-12 and a separate meeting with students in grades 4-6. You can view the meeting with 4-6 grade students online at the Minnewaska Lakers Live YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKq02p5qsfo. We also met with interested parents and discussed the concern with the Pope County Sheriff’s department. 

We want to apologize to the parents and staff who had to find out via social media. We recognize this type of situation requires direct and timely communication and we are committed to doing better. We take all safety concerns seriously, and are evaluating our process and will implement improvements for the future.

We would like to thank the Minnewaska students who did the right thing by speaking up. It is extremely important that when you hear something you say something. We’d also like to thank the Pope County Sheriff’s Department for their thorough investigation. 

School has resumed as normal. We have resources available for any students or parents with continued concerns. If you have any questions, we encourage you to contact the district office at 320.239.4820.

Sincerely, 

Chip Rankin, Superintendent