By Beth David, Editor
Parents at Hastings Middle School were surprised when they received a communication from the principal about a threat that was not a threat at the school. Spokespeople from both the Fairhaven Police Department and the School Department said that the incident began as an unfounded rumor that spread and caused unnecessary fear. The school and police investigated and determined that there was never a real threat.
Superintendent of Fairhaven Schools Robert N. Baldwin said that that it was an “absolute rumor,” and there was no evidence of a real threat to the school.
In a statement he referred to a “secondary crisis” being caused by reaction to the rumor. He said in a phone interview that parents become afraid and will often pull their children from school which creates more fear.
In all cases, said Dr. Baldwin, the school will contact the police and investigate any reports from students or parents of possible threats.
He encouraged parents to contact the school with their concerns and not take to social media, which only adds to the misinformation and the hysteria.
“We deal with everything we’re made aware of,” said Dr. Baldwin. “If people would just trust the process.”
He said their confidentiality would be maintained as the school investigates. The Fairhaven School Department has two full time School Resource Officers. Dr. Baldwin released a statement to the public.
Statement from Superintendent of Fairhaven Schools, Robert N. Baldwin
In the world we live in today everyone’s sense of security remains uncertain. I do want to assure our school community that we work deliberately to ensure that the proper procedures are in place to keep our schools safe. On a daily basis all faculty and staff continue to maintain a heightened level of vigilance. In Fairhaven, we are fortunate to have a very strong relationship between the School Department and the Police Department. We continue to work closely with our police and fire departments to review existing safety protocols to determine what, if any additional resources are needed to ensure the security of our school buildings. Being safe and feeling safe is not just about preventing what can happen, but it is also about limiting the misinformation about what never happened. When we receive information regarding concerns for the safety of our school-community all matters are investigated immediately. When there is any concern for safety, we immediately contact our School Resource Officers, and always work closely with the Fairhaven Police Department.
Recently our school personnel and law enforcement professionals who are trained to sift through information and make decisions for the safety and well-being of all students and staff were distracted by rumors and misinformation shared on social media. Within a two-week period of time we experienced a medical emergency at one school and dealt with rumors from peers that were not credible and never proven to be true at another school. Both incidents were never actually safety concerns, however, the rumors led to misinformation that spread creating a fear and hysteria that produced a secondary crisis.
Ultimately, being safer and feeling safer is about trusting relationships.
Sharing misinformation when there is no crisis is not a productive way to promote school safety. The sharing and passing on of information to the proper authority is the key to prevention. Trusted adults that are throughout our school-community stand ready to follow the protocols for safety that they have been trained to follow. Further, it is also our obligation to protect all juveniles from being labeled by accusations that are not substantiated.
We thank our community for their patience, support and trust. We will continue to make your children’s safety our first priority.
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