Board chair: Robbinsdale schools leaders will immediately forward gun reports to police
A day after parents expressed frustrations to Robbinsdale Area Schools leaders about safety and gun reporting policies, the board’s chair says the district is reviewing its procedures.
Three times last week, parents of students in the district were notified of incidents possibly involving a gun at two middle schools. Each time, the district said it didn’t notify police right away and, instead, conducted its own investigation first.
Monday night, during a Robbinsdale Area Schools community listening session, parents expressed frustration about those incidents and how they were handled.
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It prompted Superintendent David Engstrom to say the district “is actively reviewing and revising our procedures, our processes, and our practices for responding to allegations, threats and images.”
After Monday night’s listening session, the board and Engstrom held a closed-door meeting.
Tuesday, Board of Education Chairperson Helen Bassett echoed Engstrom’s comments about a review and added that the board was “assured that district administrators will notify police immediately when there’s a report or suspicion of a gun, either at school or in the possession of a student. The district will also communicate with families and staff immediately about incidents involving guns.” However, a specific reporting process wasn’t immediately clear.
Additionally, Bassett called the closed-door meeting “productive,” adding that it “set the board on a clear path forward.”
Last week, Robbinsdale and Golden Valley police both said it was concerning that the district was waiting to report incidents to their departments. However, the departments are investigating the reports at Sandburg and Robbinsdale middle schools and haven’t provided any updates.
Below is Bassett’s full statement Tuesday:
During last night’s School Board meeting and community listening session, families and staff made their voices heard loud and clear. We take their concerns seriously, and we share them. On behalf of the school board, we apologize for the anxiety this entire situation caused for so many.
During the closed session meeting, the Board of Education discussed the weapon-related incidents and how we could have responded better. It was a productive discussion, and set the board on a clear path forward.
Specifically, the Board of Education and district administrators have identified policies, practices and procedures that need review and clarification. This work was already underway and will continue.
The board and administration commit to a review process that leads to continuous improvement related to school safety. The review process will provide data that will be an important base for updates provided to our staff and to the community, going forward.
We are assured that district administrators will notify police immediately when there’s a report or suspicion of a gun, either at school or in the possession of a student. The district will also communicate with families and staff immediately about incidents involving guns.
The safety of students and staff will always be our highest priority.
Robbinsdale Area Schools Board of Education Chairperson Helen Bassett