March 23, 2017
New Town School Board considers violence policy
By Jerry W. Kram
The New Town School Board is considering adoption of a policy to guide administrators and staff on how to respond to threats of violence on school property.
The policy would cover both threats against people and property, said New Town School Superintendent Marc Bluestone. He said there have been a couple of incidents since New Years that made him feel the need for a clear policy. One incident involved students and Bluestone is prohibited by federal law from releasing any details. The other involved a teacher that destroyed an expensive school printer.
“We had an incident last month,” Bluestone said. “Because we didn’t have any comprehensive plan to deal with we worked with the North Dakota School Boards Association and our school attorney to develop a threat assessment plan. So if anybody threatens to do some violence to somebody we have an opportunity to deal with it.”
The policy says that any student or staff member who is aware of a threat to a person or property is required to report it to their supervisor or the superintendent. Failure to report such a threat will be grounds for disciplinary action, which could include suspension for students and termination for employees.
The policy would cover both threats against people and property, said New Town School Superintendent Marc Bluestone. He said there have been a couple of incidents since New Years that made him feel the need for a clear policy. One incident involved students and Bluestone is prohibited by federal law from releasing any details. The other involved a teacher that destroyed an expensive school printer.
“We had an incident last month,” Bluestone said. “Because we didn’t have any comprehensive plan to deal with we worked with the North Dakota School Boards Association and our school attorney to develop a threat assessment plan. So if anybody threatens to do some violence to somebody we have an opportunity to deal with it.”
The policy says that any student or staff member who is aware of a threat to a person or property is required to report it to their supervisor or the superintendent. Failure to report such a threat will be grounds for disciplinary action, which could include suspension for students and termination for employees.
