Good afternoon,
As you saw in the email from Mr. Bills this morning, there was a social media post and subsequent rumors referencing a shooting at West Genesee Intermediate School today. The rumors and posts spread to Westhill CSD. The information was immediately investigated by three police departments along with West Genesee and Westhill administrators last night, and the threat was deemed non-credible.
As building principal, I want to thank the police departments who quickly partnered with our District to find and hold the individual(s) accountable for their actions. We take these threats very seriously and are aware of how these moments affect your children, so we had an increased security presence in our building today and counselors were available as always to help them feel safe.
All teachers were instructed to speak with students about the threat and relay the "See Something, Say Something" messaging that encourages everyone to report any threats or unusual behaviors to a trusted adult, including at home, to school administrators and police. They also talked about the danger and disruptions of not reporting these behaviors to adults and sharing unsubstantiated information with other students and on social media. I encourage all parents to have these conversations at home as well.
Thank you for your support and continued partnership as we all seek to create a safe environment for our children.
Sincerely,
Michael McGrath