On Saturday, a parent alerted Mr. John Clark, Principal of HH Wells Middle School, that a student had posted a disturbing message on social media. Another parent also contacted me. The social media post referenced a shooting. Upon receiving this information, the Sheriff’s Department of Putnam County was contacted. Officers went to the home of the student to investigate. After interviewing the student and checking the home, there was a determination that the student had no means to commit a shooting and the threat was not credible. The student stated that he was joking.
Below is a letter released on February 3, 2019 by Brewster Schools
Dear Brewster Community,
On Saturday, a parent alerted Mr. John Clark, Principal of HH Wells Middle School, that a student had posted a disturbing message on social media. Another parent also contacted me. The social media post referenced a shooting. Upon receiving this information, the Sheriff’s Department of Putnam County was contacted. Officers went to the home of the student to investigate. After interviewing the student and checking the home, there was a determination that the student had no means to commit a shooting and the threat was not credible. The student stated that he was joking.
Under no circumstance is it ever acceptable for anyone to label references to committing acts of violence a joke. Threats of violence, whether spoken or posted on social media, are taken seriously and treated as such. Mr. Clark will be meeting with the student and parents on Monday morning. He will also ascertain the identity of another person involved in the post and respond accordingly. We will use our Code of Conduct to apply the appropriate disciplinary action for threats.
Deputy Keith Simone, the School Resource Officer at HH Wells Middle School, is in contact with the Officers who interviewed the student and searched the student’s home. He will follow up as needed with them.
As stated recently, I assure you we are doing all we possibly can to keep students and staff safe. When we are alerted of a threat, we do our best to respond as quickly and effectively as possible. Our SROs, Deputy Kraisky at Brewster High School, Deputy Suppa at JFK Elementary School, Deputy Simone at HH Wells Middle School, and School Patrol Officer Bade at CV Starr Intermediate School, work closely with administrators, school safety teams and the District wide School Health & Emergency Preparedness Team (SHEP) to implement our safety protocols and procedures. We care about our students and want them to feel safe and happy when they are in school. All threats are serious and unsettling and will result in serious disciplinary actions.
I want to thank both parents for alerting Mr. Clark and me about the social media post. We appreciate their expediency and diligence, which allowed us to quickly inform Deputy Simone and the Sheriff’s Department of Putnam County. If there are new developments that we can share, we will notify you. Please feel free to contact your child’s principal or me if you have questions or concerns.
Thank you for your assistance and cooperation.
Warm regards,
Valerie Henning-Piedmonte