RED BUD – The Red Bud CUSD No. 132 superintendent has notified parents of a threat to the high school.
Superintendent Jonathan Tallman said in an email, “It’s late in the evening to be notifying parents, but this is when I received all the information. This message is primarily for our high school parents, but to be fully transparent, I want the entire district to see this. We were just informed that a student reported to a parent, and thankfully, that parent called us, that a student at the lunch table mentioned that it would be wise for those at the table not to come to school the next day.”
“We immediately contacted the sheriff’s department because it is not a student in town, and they went to the house this evening. Our sheriff’s department is second to none, and they conducted a thorough investigation, and NO weapons were found. These situations are extremely frustrating, and I will pursue options with our State’s Attorney because, frankly, I am sick and tired of claims and threats of violence that disrupt the learning environment.”
“That student was NOT allowed to be in attendance (the followig day),” he stated, adding that he can understand why parents would keep their children home as well, though he discourages it.
“If you feel your child needs to stay home (that day), they will be excused. The thought of that bothers me immensely because your child will miss a valuable day of learning for a threat that has no credibility. I have two daughters in high school and one in junior high, and all will be at school. However, how you handle these situations is entirely up to you.”
He said there would be an increase law enforcement presence in the school district.
Unfortunately, these kinds of issues are widespread across school districts nationwide, and they need to stop. The disruption to the learning environment is significant, as once this message goes out, someone (guaranteed) will post something on social media, and everyone will get stirred up—and rightfully so. The comments will go on and on, leading to increased anxiety among everyone. In this day and age…it is what it is, unfortunately. We’ve had a great start to the school year, and for this to happen so early really frustrates me. You’re sitting there enjoying a peaceful evening, and all of a sudden you’re reading this. I’m sorry. I hate that this is the reality, and it frustrates me to no end.
I will end with this. Every parent has their own opinion on what’s best for their child, but I want to assure you that I have absolutely no hesitation about sending my own children to school.
Again, I’m so sorry that I have to send this email out; we’ll always be transparent with you.” – Jon