The Raymond School District came under criticism during a school board meeting on Thursday, April 25 when several parents attended to voice their concerns about how the district was handling threats made by a student.
Series of threats
According to Superintendent Dr. Steve Holland, a 6th-grade student had made a series of threats towards a 1st-grade student. The first incident was reported to a staff member but the district never became aware of the threat. A second incident occurred that was reported and immediate action was taken to ensure the situation was dealt with. A Third incident happened on Tuesday, April 24 on a bus and the district didn't become aware until a parent called the bus barn.
"During the second incident we actually had two students make the threat," Dr. Holland said. "We called the parents of both students and talked to them about the threats. One family told us they actually had no firearms in their home. The other family told us that they did, but they were properly stored away."
Could have handled it better
Dr. Holland openly admitted that the district could have handled the situations differently. During the second threat the parents of the victim were not notified of the incident and learned of it from the child during a family dinner. The districts prior protocol didn't include calling the parents of a threatened student but has since been changed to include the notification be given.
"We could have handled the situation better," Dr. Holland said. "But I think we did a lot of things right too. Part of our job is to determine the severity of a threat and act accordingly. I feel in this situation we did a great job of that. We should have informed the parents and did not. It's something we are making sure we will do from now on."
Changes will be made
After the recent incident, Dr. Holland directed his staff to look at the districts current protocols and determine if the procedures were relevant or outdated. If they are found to be outdated then the district plans to work to update them immediately. At the end of each school year, the district will also be meeting on the last day of school after students go home to discuss how the year went and if any procedural changes need to be made.
"The idea is to look back and see if anything needs to be changed," Dr. Holland said. "Then we can start the next school year more prepared and with more relevant procedures. Things change each year and it's our job to keep up with them. We are living in a different time than when most of procedures were created. Things have to change with time."