In response to the arrest of an Altimira Middle School student for making gun-related threats, School District Superintendent Socorro Shiels today released this statement:
Many of you have heard about a serious threat made on one of our campuses. The good news is that the safety net for secure campuses in our District, works. A student told an adult who immediately then worked with law enforcement to assess and address any threat. To our knowledge the family is cooperating with law enforcement and the staff will monitor all subsequent issues on campus. At this time, nothing has been found or recovered that would signal an ability for the student to do harm beyond the threat that was made and the District is reviewing appropriate disciplinary steps. This potential crisis has been averted.
The hero of this story is the student who noticed something out of the ordinary and then reported that observation to an adult. The student who had the courage to say to an adult when something wasn’t right, is a value we see of students in our District. Together we need to be sure each student and adult in our community is this strong, is this connected to others, and that we stand with them.
The lingering concern is that this issue could happen again in any part of our community, in any community across our nation. We all are informed through news outlets and social media and understand no community, no District, is immune to these issues. Our work to address these issues as a community, will continue.
The District has safeguards to ensure our students are safe. A few of these things are a strong and responsive staff, mental health support through partner organizations, a strong relationship with local law enforcement, community phone tip lines and student peer leaders. These resources are only as strong as the relationships and connections we have across the community. “See Something, Say Something” is real, and that means all of us. It means having strong relationships and connections with all the adults and students and noticing changes in behaviors and attitudes and reporting these changes that come from a place of care and compassion.
Most concerning to us here locally may be the limited amount of mental health services for our Valley. For the past several months we have been working with the Hanna Institute and their Tipping Point grant to bring mental health and trauma support to our community. This collective conversation has made clear our scarce resources locally and reinforces our need to continue to this effort. I appreciate your help in our community and in our county; not only working with adults and students to continue to “See Something, Say Something” but also in strengthening the resources we have on our campuses.
When we know there are any issues, we can respond immediately. In a broader context we need to work together and advocate for more behavioral and mental health supports in our community at large so that families have the support they need. Thank you for caring for all of our young people in the community and working with us to keep this Valley strong, safe and healthy. For specifics about what resources are available at your student’s school, please contact your school’s principal. It definitely takes a valley and I appreciate your support during these times.
— Sincerely, Socorro Shiels