Just a week into the school year, Lawrence school district administrators have been working with Lawrence police to investigate two reports of alleged threatening comments made by students at West Middle School and Lawrence High School.
“In both instances, the reports were determined unfounded,” district spokesperson Julie Boyle said in an email Friday afternoon.
A West Middle School student reported Thursday after school that they heard another student saying they were going to bring a gun to school Friday, Boyle wrote.
“The school administration notified the Lawrence Police Department and worked with a school resource officer to investigate the allegation. The investigation included interviewing the reporting parties and the student accused of making the remark, as well as talking to their parents,” Boyle continued.
“The SRO notified the district last night that the investigation determined there was no credible threat and no action required regarding the report. The school administration informed West Middle School families of this last night.”
And Friday morning, a parent of a Lawrence High School student reported to administrators that their student heard another student say “You better not come to school tomorrow (Friday),” Boyle wrote.
“The school administration worked with a school resource officer to investigate, including interviewing the reporting party and the student and visiting with both families,” Boyle said. “This investigation determined there was no threat made toward Lawrence High School. The school administration informed LHS families of the report and the investigation.”
Superintendent Anthony Lewis said he appreciated individuals reporting safety concerns, according to Boyle’s email.
“There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students and staff,” Lewis said. “Allegations of threats, of any kind, will be taken seriously and investigated fully.”
The district held six community safety forums over the last three weeks. During the forums, the district provided an online form to collect people’s perceptions about safety. That’s available at this link.
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