By Tanya Terry
Superintendent Kevelin Jones issued a statement saying a threat was made against Southwestern Classical Academy on Wednesday, April 19, the building was put into lockdown and classes were canceled for the next day. Classes will remain closed today, on Friday, April 21, as the police department continues to investigate.
Jones said, in the interest of a safer environment, the district is looking at policies, additional security personnel and resources. He noted the district is working with its administrators, local law enforcement, safety advocates and Board of Education.
“While conversations about school safety date back decades, it has become increasingly clear that we are at an inflection point and must address this head-on,” Jones said. “This issue is not unique to Flint Community Schools – across the country, threats, both online and in person, are happening at an alarming rate. Over the past few weeks, we have received, reviewed and cleared threats made against scholars, teachers and staff. We take threats against our school community very seriously, and parents and scholars should understand there are legal ramifications to making threats against a school, even when they are made online…”
The superintendent said the lockdown and cancellation of classes were done out of an abundance of caution, and anyone with information on the threat that was made is asked to contact local law enforcement.
For questions regarding school safety, Jones can be reached at superintendent@flintschools.org
