Dear Mesa Public Schools families,
At Mesa Public Schools, we firmly believe that our number one responsibility is to provide a safe and caring educational environment for all of our students and staff.
It has been a challenging few days as we have responded to a variety of threats and unusual behaviors in our district. Beginning yesterday, we received numerous rumors of threats, many of those stemming from a Snapchat post listing multiple Arizona schools to be "shot up.” As of this letter being written, law enforcement continues to investigate the origins of this post. As you can imagine, this is disrupting our schools and causing fear. As a result, we have experienced increased student absences in some schools.
Throughout our investigations we have seen an uptick of students making threats as a joke or a prank. I want to make it clear that we take every threat seriously, even those that appear to be pranks. These threats are investigated by district security and our law enforcement partners. Students who make threats are disciplined according to the Mesa Public Schools discipline matrix and could be charged by law enforcement.
To ensure the safety and security of our students and staff, we have implemented several important measures across the district over the past few years :
Weapons Detectors: We have installed weapons detectors at all of our high schools and will soon extend this measure to our junior high schools. This additional layer of security helps to deter and prevent dangerous items from entering our schools.
Locked Doors and Gates: We require gates, classroom and school doors to be locked during school hours.
Secured Front Lobbies: We are actively prioritizing the construction of secure front lobbies at our schools, creating a strong first line of defense.
Student and Staff Identification: We now require all students and staff to wear identification badges during school hours. In the event of an emergency, this measure helps identify and account for students and staff during evacuations or other safety procedures.
Drills: Our schools practice lockdown and fire drills throughout the year to ensure students and staff are prepared in case of an emergency. And, our staff members can place their school or department in lockdown at any time.
While these efforts are substantial, we understand that safety is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to improving and adapting to new challenges as they arise.
Mesa Public Schools has a Silent Witness Hotline at 480-472-7867. We encourage students, staff and families to “Report, Don’t Repost” and if they see something, say something.
We are hopeful that by working as one—students, staff, parents, and community members—we will continue to provide an environment where every student feels valued and safe.
I wish you a safe and restful weekend.
Dr. Andi Fourlis
Superintendent