School parents concerned for students’ safety following juvenile arrest for terrorist threat

By: Tara Blue

Parents of students in the Southern Boone School District are making their voices heard after a recent verbal threat was made by a middle school student.

Nearly forty parents gathered for a last-minute meeting on the evening of Sunday, Sep. 15th to discuss concerns about how the school policies and procedures have been implemented, as well as plans for the physical safety of their children moving forward. The group organized a meeting with Superintendent Dr. Roth and other members of the district administration the next morning, with over sixty parents in attendance to share their concerns.

Some of the parents say they have been in a “whirlwind” after they received a message from the district on Friday, Sep. 13^th around 10:00pm stating that “there have been no incidents involving a knife at our school today or a gun at tonight’s football game. We (the school district) have been made aware of these rumors and want to confirm that they are unfounded.” The district stated that their “primary focus remains the safety and well-being of our students, staff and community members.”

Parents became confused about the situation when the Ashland Police Department (APD) and the school district released statements on Saturday, Sep. 14^th stating that APD was made aware of a verbal threat from a student related to the middle school around 6:00pm on Friday, Sep. 13^th. Furthermore, as a result of a thorough investigation, a juvenile student was arrested for making a terrorist threat.

APD and the school district say that “because the investigation involves a juvenile, further details cannot be released, as required by state law,” but went on to reiterate that “rumors circulating on social media about a knife at one of our schools and a gun at last night’s football game” were unfounded and inaccurate. APD says they take these threats seriously and assures the public that there is no other known threat to the community or the schools at this time. Many parents say they do not feel reassured by the statements from the school district and APD.

Parents say that the message from Friday conflicted with the messages on Saturday, with Friday’s message conveying no threat and Saturday’s messages confirming a threat serious enough to warrant an arrest. They say the district was not as transparent as possible regarding the situation, and they have lost trust in the district’s ability to keep their children safe.

One parent who wishes to remain anonymous, says they contacted middle school administration last week to report serious threats that their child had witnessed. The parent says they specifically requested that their student not be questioned by the administration about the threat in a manner that would draw attention to their student or put at risk their anonymity in reporting, but the administration did so anyway. The parent says their child now has a “target on their back” and is terrified to attend school because of the administration’s actions.

The district says they will follow normal established safety protocols, such as “keeping all exterior doors locked during school hours and utilizing our secure ‘buzz-in’ system to control access. Every visitor will continue to be required to check in through this system before being granted entry. These measures are in place to maintain a safe environment for students and staff.”

Parents say that building safety procedures are only one preventive measure, and questioned how safe students are when they walk to school, attend after-school events, or ride the bus. They say that there have been several past incidents concerning the student in question which have not been properly followed up on and they question the communication between the school district and APD.

The school says they are legally unable to answer the most pressing questions that parents are asking, such as:

• Is the student involved allowed back at school?
• What are the consequences for a student making a terrorist threat?
• Will this student be expelled or otherwise disciplined?

Several parents say they feel like the school is protecting the student who made the threat more than the students who were threatened. The school district says they “are unable to provide specifics” because “these matters involve a juvenile, and as such, we (the school district) are bound by privacy laws that prevent us from disclosing any information about the student or any actions being taken as part of the ongoing investigation. We are required to follow these legal restrictions to protect the rights of all students.”

The parents say they are reviewing school policies and have provided Dr. Roth with several questions regarding how the district handled and will handle such situations in the future and will keep their children at home until they know they will be safe at school. The district says that if any parents or children have questions or concerns about safety, to please contact the school administration and they will continue to provide any information they can within the law.

APD says that if any community members have pertinent information regarding this case, to please visit ashlandodmo.evidence.com or scan the QR code below: