From the Superintendent - Safety Reminders
Published on Nov 16, 2018 14:46

Dear Cumberland Valley families,

We are writing today to ask our families to continue to partner with us in impressing upon our students the importance of safety. More specifically, we would like to remind students of the power of words, the importance of healthy decision-making, and the consequences for inappropriate actions.

We sincerely appreciate that our community members put student safety at the forefront of their concerns and that, the vast majority of the time, our students behave in an appropriate and respectful manner. However, we also recognize that over the past twelve months we have had to communicate with our families on more than one occasion to share information regarding alleged threats that were made against our schools. Unfortunately, that and similar trends continue both locally and across the country.

Yesterday, administration became aware that a Good Hope Middle School student posted on our learning management platform, Schoology, a threat to a specific staff member. The student did this by accessing, and posting through, another student’s account. Thanks to the swift action of a parent who saw the post soon after it appeared, law enforcement and District administration were notified and an investigation immediately ensued. The student who posted the threat to the staff member was identified yesterday and will face consequences as allowable by both District policy and law. Please know that, in this instance, a threat was never made to a student or to the school; rather, this instance was directed at a specific staff member. Further, the investigation by law enforcement indicated there was never a credible threat to any staff member’s safety. It is also important to note that the investigation revealed the student whose profile was used to transmit the threat had NO involvement in the incident and the student was completely cooperative with police during the investigation.

We strongly encourage parents/guardians to use this as another opportunity to remind students about the power of words and the consequences associated with making threats, even when those threats are meant as a joke and when the student has no intentions of, or capabilities to, follow through with those words. There are many resources available in helping to facilitate these discussions. A few include:

- School Board Policy #218.2, Terroristic Threats (www.cvschools.org/policies) – This policy goes above and beyond that of our discipline policies. It seeks to address specific issues related to the danger that threats and/or acts of harm by students to themselves or others presents to the safety of district students, staff, and the community.

- National Association of School Psychologists (www.nasponline.org) – Provides valuable resources that might help to guide conversations regarding topics that are often sensitive in nature.

- PA Department of Education Safe Schools Office (www.education.pa.gov) and U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov) – Resources on school safety and family & community engagement.

Please know that whether it’s a weekend, a snow day, or a school day, we will respond immediately to words or actions that may potentially place a student or staff member in harm. In addition, we ask that parents/guardians and students please continue to remain vigilant and to immediately report any activity that may be considered concerning.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school counselor or building principal should you have any questions or concerns.

With sincere appreciation,

Dr. Frederick Withum III
Superintendent of Schools