Threats against the safety of students in the Johnston Community Schools have forced the district to close all buildings and cancel classes for Tuesday.
Text messages from phone number 818-275-6846 said things such as, “The only thing I’m going to do is kill,” and “I’m going to make Vegas look like child’s play.”
Late Monday evening, JCSD Superintendent Dr. Corey Lunn sent an electronic letter to all parents of students in the district and district staff members:
Good evening, Johnston parents and staff,
Tonight, individual students and parents within our school district received anonymous messages, threatening the safety and security of our students. These messages started arriving around 8 p.m. and have continued throughout the night. In an effort of caution, we will be canceling school for all students and district staff tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 3. All district buildings will be closed, and there is no KTC program.
School district officials are working closely with the Johnston Police Department to track down the validity of the message and its source.
We understand this may inconvenience parents and caretakers, and we regret sending this message at a late hour. However, the safety of our students and staff is the foremost reasoning behind this action.
As we receive information from the Johnston Police Department, we will keep you updated. If you have information related to these threats, please contact the Johnston Police Department at 515-278-2345.
This has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make; please know I take the safety of all our students and staff seriously and feel this is the best choice for our district and school community.
Thank you,
Dr. Corey Lunn
JCSD Superintendent of Schools
Following the letter from the school district, the Johnston Police Department issued the following statement:
Around 8 p.m. on the evening of Oct. 2, individual students and parents received anonymous messages, threatening the safety and security of students in the Johnston Community School District. If you directly received a direct text message from 818-275-6846, please screenshot the message and email it to johnstonpolice77@gmail.com along with your phone number.
We will continue to work with the school district to ensure the safety of our community, and together we will get through this. If community members have questions, please contact the Johnston Police Department at 515-278-2345 for any further information.
About 7,000 students currently attend school in the Johnston Community School District.
ThePerryNews.com will update this story as information becomes available.
