Dear Beagle Middle School Families,
In light of the recent Tik Tok hoax referencing school violence, we wanted to take this opportunity to explain to our parents – in detail – how we handle threats that are made by students at Beagle Middle School. Our goal here is not to alarm our families; instead, we wanted to provide our families with insight as to how we deal with these situations when and if they pop up. In his 2022 letter, DL Parent Letter 2022 School Year .docx.pdf, Eaton County prosecutor Doug Llyod sums it up: “My office, law enforcement, and each school district want to make this abundantly clear – we take these threats seriously.”
When a student makes a threat that significantly impacts the safety and wellbeing of our student body, these are the following actions we immediately take:
- Student of concern is immediately contained by administrative staff.
- A thorough investigation is conducted by administrative staff and Grand Ledge Police Department.
- The administrative staff engages a Threat and Risk Assessment, which can be found here: https://www.eatonresa.org/about-us/school-safety/
- Grand Ledge Police Department engages in their Threat and Risk Assessment.
- Student of concern’s parents are a part of this process as well, and home visits by Grand Ledge Police Department are possible based upon the results of the Threat and Risk Assessments.
- School administration and Grand Ledge Police Department work as a unified front through the entire process, consistently collaborating around all parts of the process.
- School discipline, issued in a progressive fashion, is followed in accordance with our handbook approved by the Board of Education even if the threat is deemed transient in nature.
If the threatening comments are determined to be transient in nature, administration sets up a reentry plan for the student, which includes proactive measures to better support the social, and emotional needs of the student. These proactive measures include checking in with our Student Success Coordinator where student of concern’s belongings are checked on a daily basis after re-entry.
If the threat is substantive, the student does not return to programming whatsoever, and further administrative actions are taken by the superintendent to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. Law enforcement engages in further measures as well.
Parents of those directly involved in the situation are contacted by school administration as soon as possible with the understanding that the top priority in these circumstances is to assess the threat, complete the threat assessments, and ensure the safety of all students.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Dave and Kelly
