On April 20, a threat to Rockwood School District high schools was called in directly to the University City Police Department. The caller still has not been identified, but police investigations are still underway. School Resource Officer Danial Sanner said law enforcement deemed the threat to be not credible and called in from outside the area.
“The [threat] we’re dealing with now came in through a telephone call to the dispatcher, and they’ve determined that line came from out of state, but they have a lot of resources so that they can do some investigating behind the scenes. If there was anything to find, they would be able to find it as far as finding credibility,” Sanner said.
No classes were canceled, but all four high schools had an increased presence of law enforcement on campus as well as patrolling the nearby areas. Superintendent Dr. Curtis Cain said that working with the police department is essential while the district is still handling the threats and collaboration is continuing as the investigation proceeds.
“Things are ongoing. Whatever we need to do to comply with law enforcement– not even comply, but to assist law enforcement with this– we are already engaged in. I have been involved in at least two conversations [on April 22]. When we land on a decision like this to actually have students in school, we do this in consultation with our law enforcement partners as well,” Cain said.
This is not the first time the district has had to deal with threats of violence: in 2022, Marquette High School was evacuated and classes were canceled after multiple threats were sent around the school. Shooting threats were also made directly to Summit in 2021. In both cases, no attacks took place, but principal Dr. Emily McCown said that the threats remind students about the safety precautions put in place.
“I think, for the most part, our kids probably walk around feeling pretty comfortable and safe, so it just reminds you again of the reality of the world we’re living in, and I think it’s an opportunity to continue those conversations about safety measures. If you hear something, say something– make sure you say something to a trusted adult,” McCown said.
Staying informed on the situation, Cain said, helps to combat the fear instilled by the threat.
“I think your generation is owed an apology for even having to think about this. But I will stand behind what I’ve said in the past. There are two choices: to either put your head in the sand or to operate in an informed manner, and I say operating in an informed manner versus operating in fear. You cannot live life in fear because you let other forces win and we just aren’t going to do that. We operate in as informed of a manner as we can. We want you to be able to enjoy Prom on Saturday. Those should be your sources of concern, not something along these lines,” Cain said.
This story was originally published at 12:30 P.M. on April 23. Coverage is ongoing as more information is made available
