May 25, 2017 - Last evening, a middle school student posted a threatening comment on social media to friends. Thankfully
Flushing Community Schools 522 N. McKinley Road, Flushing, MI 48433 Phone: (810) 591-1180 ~ Fax: (810) 591-0656
Timothy Z. Stein, Superintendent
May 25, 2017
Dear Parents, I am hopeful this communication, about an unfortunate turn of events, will help us all to facilitate discussions with students about social media and how comments posted on social media, or threats of any kind, may have serious consequences. Last evening, a middle school student posted a threatening comment on social media to friends. Thankfully, our students did exactly as they should and informed parents of the threatening statements made. The parents informed law enforcement, who then contacted us. Law enforcement immediately began the investigation, quickly determined the threat was not credible, and recommended school proceed as usual this morning. My hope, beyond making you aware of this situation, is that students understand that their safety is our number one priority and that when a threat is made, however innocent the comment may have been intended, it will be taken seriously. Police will be involved immediately to determine the credibility of the threat, the student will not be allowed to attend school until a riskassessment is completed by a licensed psychologist, and the student is deemed not to be a risk to themselves or other students. This process often time takes weeks or months to complete, but is necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Please take the time to talk to your child about the importance of responsible online behavior. A momentary misguided statement can have a serious consequence. Thank you for your cooperation and effort in helping prevent these incidents from occurring in the future and ensuring we continue to provide a caring, safe, and orderly school community.
Respectfully,
Timothy Z. Stein Superintendent
TZS/dat
“Preparing learners today for opportunities tomorrow.”
