district announcement from Dr. Grunewald

September 24, 2024

Edmond Families:

I am writing today to share some important information that we will also be sharing with middle and high school students at school today. We are taking this step because the safety of our students and staff members is our absolute top priority.

As you have likely seen in the news, there has been an increase in threats made toward schools, both in Oklahoma and around the country. Most of these are designed to be disruptive and spread from one school to another because they are very generic. Thankfully, we have not received any direct threats that were made specifically towards an Edmond school. However, several of our schools have been impacted by the reposting and sharing of rumors or talk of threats in the past few weeks. When these posts are shared, they can create panic and fear among our students, families, and staff members. They also take time and resources to investigate, as we must treat any post seriously.

We need your help. As you know, EPS practices the See Something, Say Something mantra. Please help us:

  1. Have a conversation with your child(ren) reinforcing that the proper thing to do if they hear about a possible threat is to report it to you or another adult.

  2. When you see or hear these things please call your student’s school or law enforcement to report something concerning. We want and need to know.

Today during advisory, our middle and high school students will watch this video to address the increase in the sharing of these types of posts. Our goal is to help increase awareness of what happens when something is shared on social media that may be intended as a joke or thought of as the best way to share information. We are also attempting to make students aware of the possible consequences of these types of posts.

Our law enforcement partners are always involved with these types of investigations, no matter the time of day. EPS also works to communicate to our families when a threat, hoax or real, has been received and investigated. Many of you have received these letters in the last few weeks. We want to keep you informed.

We must work together. Thank you so much for your help, support and continued partnership.

Dr. Angela Grunewald
Superintendent

Edmond Police: 405.359.4338
Oklahoma City Police: 405.231.2121