ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:43 PM THURSDAY: Tonight we received a few inquiries about a report that a West Seattle High School student made a threat in a classroom during the school day. We contacted district spokesperson Kim Schmanke to ask if she had any information about this, and she just sent us the letter that WSHS principal Brian Vance sent to families tonight:
Dear West Seattle High School families,
Late in the school day, one of our students made a threatening statement. Upon learning about the comments, we contacted the district’s Safety and Security office and the Seattle Police Department.
We contacted the families whose students overheard the comments before sending a school-wide communication.
Please know that we take safety in our buildings very seriously; the well-being of our students is our top priority.
I realize any talk of violence is a cause for concern and we will continue to investigate to assure you that we are committed to doing everything we can to keep our students safe at school.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to speak with parents and guardians directly.
ADDED 8:03 PM: We asked if /how the student had been disciplined. Schmanke replied, “My understanding is we cannot disclose the specifics but yes, appropriate protocols were followed regarding the student.”
ADDED 8 AM FRIDAY: Thanks to the parent who forwarded us a second letter that they say was sent this morning:
Dear West Seattle High School families,
I wanted to follow up from my email last night regarding the threat that was made by one of our students yesterday afternoon. I received several emails with a variety of concerns. Unfortunately, I cannot share every detail from our investigation but I wanted to at least clarify a couple of things.
· The student who made the threat was identified immediately and will not be at school while we continue our investigation.
· In an abundance of caution, there will be additional security at school today.
· Both district security and Seattle Police Department are aware of the situation and are helping with our investigation.
· We are planning a normal school day today and plan to move forward with all the homecoming activities this weekend.
· If your student needs to talk with someone, our counselors will be available to do so.
As I said last night, please know that we take safety in our buildings very seriously; the well-being of our students is our top priority. I realize any talk of violence is a cause for concern and we will continue to investigate to assure you that we are committed to doing everything we can to keep our students safe at school. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Brian Vance, Principal
West Seattle High School
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