Any time a potential threat is communicated to school administration, we take the threat very seriously and always take action. Building administrators begin an immediate investigation exhausting all leads by conducting interviews with anyone who may have knowledge of the incident. We work to obtain all first-hand accounts; review video where applicable, and confirm with law enforcement when necessary.

In regards to clear threats of physical violence, we use all resources at our disposal to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff. This includes referrals to authorities and at times we even employ quick precautionary/preventative measures by removing potential suspects from school as we begin our investigation. Once we have completed the thorough investigation, often with our law enforcement partners, we take additional action. Most often, we are able to confirm findings to a high degree. We have no tolerance for those who make threats of physical violence and those who do are dealt with swiftly and justly.

Encourage your child to share their concerns immediately with their school administration. If information is not immediately shared, reports become very embellished and spread through social media. Sometimes, students simply make up false stories. All reports are investigated, and students who knowingly perpetuate false rumors are held accountable. Additionally, many times the social media world spreads false rumors even after the situation has been completely resolved. As you can imagine this can create great concern among our students, staff, and parents. Our experience in these matters have demonstrated that much of what is circulated in social media is not true to a significant degree. During a crisis or threat, we communicate directly with the affected parents through ParentSquare.

Student privacy rights under federal and state law prevent us from communicating with parents about other students; however, we will communicate through ParentSquare as much information as we can at the time. We want to assure parents when we are aware of wide-spread potential threats and that we will resolve the issue as quickly as possible with all resources available, including the involvement of law enforcement. It is very difficult for us knowing that we cannot share more details, but the law is clear. Additionally, sharing more information than is legally allowed provides a legal argument for the individual alleged to have made a threat to be held less accountable. 

Mt. Vernon’s administrative staff members have School Safety Specialists certification/training from the Indiana Department of Education. In addition, every school building is represented on the district crisis team, which meets and communicates regularly. All schools are required to turn in confidential Crisis Plans to the Indiana Department of Education each year. Also, Mt. Vernon’s Director of Operations is a co-chair of the Hancock County Crisis Team who works with the 911 center and multiple law enforcement agencies, utility companies and more. We have very close relationships with our local law enforcement who also train in our buildings for familiarity.

If you hear of any potential threat of school violence, contact your school’s administration directly. Don’t wait. Please do not post on social media anything that relates to the rumor you heard. Doing so can complicate, frustrate, and compromise the school’s investigation into the matter. Most often, you will not get accurate information on social media. Please don’t be a part of spreading inaccurate information verbally or via social media. Rather, communicate with the school directly, and the school will share as much information as we are able while following student privacy laws and making sure not to jeopardize our investigation. Additionally, it is always best to make a report openly. An anonymous report can help to an extent, but is not as helpful as when the school has the ability to ask clarifying questions of the reporter that provides significant help in beginning a quality investigation.  All individuals who make good faith reports and who participate in school investigations are protected from retaliation on the basis of such reporting/participation. 

Please know that we utilize all available means to assure that students who pose a danger to themselves or others are placed in an appropriate education setting to safely provide for their education and the education of other students. We will continue to make student and staff safety our highest priority.