Cd'A schools updates parents about threat message
The following letter was sent by the school superintendent to parents and families of students in Coeur d’Alene Public Schools:
Dear Parents and Families,
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department continues to investigate a school safety threat that was shared widely on social media Thursday. While the message mentioned a “CHS,” investigators here found no indication of that being a reference to Coeur d’Alene High School. The same message also was being shared and investigated in multiple states across the country. At this time, Coeur d’Alene police do not believe there is a credible threat involving any school in the Coeur d’Alene School District. However, additional officers will be present at Coeur d’Alene High School today as a precautionary measure.
Thursday evening the school district and police received multiple reports of this threat being circulated on social media.
We recognize that timeliness was of the utmost importance as the issue unfolded last night and we will continue to improve our communication processes. We diligently work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to provide accurate and credible information. Fortunately, parents and students used the “Report a Threat” feature in the district’s mobile app, in addition to alerting the police directly. We encourage our students and staff to “See Something, Say Something,” and the immediate reporting of the threat Thursday enabled police to quickly launch an investigation. The systems we have in place for reporting threats or other concerning issues worked well Thursday.
While grateful for the vigilance of the CHS community, we did receive some reports that students may have seen the threat message written on a school wall or surface. As investigators contacted those students, they determined the students had not in fact seen the threat in person. District staff and police also searched throughout Coeur d’Alene High School overnight looking for any indication of a threat message written on a wall or surface. We found none. We and the police take each report seriously and investigate every lead and tip. To insure the most effective use of police and school district resources, any assistance parents and students can provide with the reduction of false leads and embellished rumors can help speed up the process and make for a more effective, efficient, and timely investigation.
Social media threats can spread quickly and have a far-reaching effect, and police locally have learned that this “CHS” message has had an impact on many schools with those same initials across the U.S.
Coeur d’Alene High School will remain open today, but we also respect all parents’ right to excuse their students from attending when they have concerns.
Thank you for your partnership in helping us keep our students and staff safe. School safety will always be a top priority in our district and we are better when the entire community works together to help insure this, and we are extremely grateful investigators here found no credible threat.
Dr. Steve Cook, Superintendent