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September 20, 2024
GLPS Families,
We are now a month into the school year, and things are in full swing around the district. Classrooms are full of learning, our teams are working toward championships, our arts programs are maintaining excellence, and it is fun to see all of that happening daily throughout our district.
This week, GLPS communicated with families multiple times about potential threats within the district. Unfortunately, this is part of a national trend, as districts around the state and country find themselves in the position of receiving similar information, and then trying to sort out the details. We have heard from a number of districts in the area and state who also conducted investigations and sent messages to their families this week as well.
Here in our communities, we are fortunate that we have invested in a number of safety-focused initiatives, including secure entrances, monitors in all offices to constantly view all exterior doors, and safety devices for interior doors. However, most importantly, we have invested in the people that keep our schools safe. We have a position in the district dedicated to school safety; Chris Chester is our Student Safety Supervisor, and he is a former law enforcement and school resource officer. We have resource officers stationed at GLHS and Beagle, and they provide resources and assistance to our other buildings as well. We have strong and established relationships with our local law enforcement agencies. Our buildings reside in three different police jurisdictions – Eaton County, Clinton County, and the City of Grand Ledge – and we have strong working relationships with all three.
In both instances that occurred this week, we were able to confidently continue to have students in classes during the school day because of the expertise within our team, guided by Mr. Chester, as well as the expertise that we are able to leverage with our law enforcement partners. In addition, we are able to be transparent and communicative with all of you because of the work of John Ellsworth, our Director of Communications, as well as our building leaders. Wednesday night’s event was a great representation of the good work of our folks; it took us less than two hours to be alerted to the potential threat, engage law enforcement, gather information, determine the source and the fact that it was not tied to us, conduct a threat assessment, and communicate with all of you. And, all of that happened after normal work hours. This clearly illustrates the professionalism and expertise of the GLPS team and our partners in this area, and gives me confidence that we can continue to maintain a safe learning environment for our students, staff, and families.
In all instances involving potential threats, we will always prioritize student and staff safety. While it is unfortunate that we have to send those messages, it is important that you know what is happening. After all, you trust us to keep your kids safe, and make sure they have the opportunity to learn. Last week, I shared information about reporting threats, as well as Prosecutor Lloyd’s commitment to keeping our communities safe. I want to take this opportunity to remind you of two things:
- Please talk to your kids about this topic, and make sure they understand that they cannot make statements, joking or not, that can be interpreted as a threat. We investigate all potential threats thoroughly and with our law enforcement partners utilizing our threat assessment protocols.
- If you or a student sees something that looks like a threat online, report it using methods I shared last week. Do not share it or repost it – REPORT, don’t repost.
As a follow up to one of our messages, we received questions about mental health supports for students, both as a preventative measure and to help students who may feel concern about these instances. As we have done with school safety, we have also invested heavily in supports for our kids: we have strong counselors in all of our buildings and social workers to support those who need it. When we hired Mr. Chester as the Student Safety Supervisor, we also hired Juan Castillo as the Student Inclusion, Mental Health, and Wellness Supervisor. Mr. Castillo is a licensed social worker who has expertise in macro level social work and helps us understand how to better build systems to support kids and staff. In addition, our health center staff is available to support students as well. We understand that our students are experiencing many stressors in today’s environments, and we are doing our best to help alleviate them and provide strategies that help kids manage them. And, don’t forget, kids can always visit with the facility dog in their building, too!
As I mentioned, we strive for transparency in our district, and I hope you can see in today’s update that we take our work around safety and mental health seriously. I am sorry for the disruptions this week, but I appreciate all of you – your understanding, flexibility, and resilience. Thank you for your continued support, and thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you and your kids every day. Have a wonderful weekend; as always, I am #proudtobeacomet!
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
