January 22, 2016

Dear Newton Community,

As many of you are aware, there have been a multitude of threats to schools across the state over the past week, including Newton North. Fortunately, nothing hazardous was found at any of the schools but it is most troubling that we have to address such threats in schools that should be sanctuaries of safety and learning. I also recognize that what we experienced earlier this week makes us feel vulnerable and anxious.

On Tuesday, we received a threat that claimed to involve both a bomb and the possibility of an active shooter. After consulting with local and state law enforcement officials, we made the decision to keep Newton North students in school, following our well-established internal safety protocols. This decision was made with the most up-to-date information from a range of law enforcement agencies, with the goal of protecting students and staff.

Tuesday’s events are a reminder that school districts face many challenges when we address issues of safety and security, including when and how we communicate with the community. In this era of instant communication, it is inevitable that high school students will use text and social media to share information more quickly than we can. We do our best to share information with families as quickly as possible while our partners in law enforcement review all of our communication for accuracy. This ensures that our communication does not inhibit an active investigation or spread inaccurate information.

As a system committed to continuous improvement, we will debrief this incident and evaluate our protocols with police and other agencies. In the meantime, I am grateful to Newton North Interim Principal, Mark Aronson, and the staff and students at North for their responsiveness. I want to recognize our local and state public safety officials for their swift and effective actions to protect our students and staff.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools

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