School resource officers and St. Joseph County Police officers will be on hand at Penn High School on Thursday, Dec. 20, after an alleged threat was sent as a group text to some students.
Penn High School Principal Sean Galiher sent an email to parents on Wednesday night after knowledge of the threat was spread by word and via social media.
The district is working with St. Joseph County Police and the PHM Director of Safety and Student Services.
Police and administrators talked to several students involved on Wednesday and plan further questioning on Thursday.
Text of the complete email sent to parents is below:
December 19, 2018
Good Evening Penn Parent/Guardian,
This letter is to inform you that late this afternoon (Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018), St. Joseph County Police notified us of an alleged threat for tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The alleged threat was sent as a group text to some Penn High School students and has since been spread via social media and other means.
This is an active police investigation and is still ongoing at this hour. We are working directly with St. Joseph County Police and P-H-M Director of Safety and Student Services Mike Seger on this matter. Police and Penn High School Administrators have already talked to a number of students involved. This investigation will continue into tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018) with further questioning of those involved.
We are aware that knowledge of this alleged threat is growing in our Penn High School Community; therefore we are notifying Penn families and staff about this investigation and the information that we have at this time.
The safety of your child is a top priority for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We take these matters very seriously, responding immediately with the appropriate action. We appreciate your patience as the investigation continues. We will continue to monitor this situation and will communicate any updates in the police investigation.
P-H-M School Resource Officers and officers from St. Joseph County Police will be on-hand and present tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018 to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff at Penn High School.
We understand, support and respect your decision as parents and guardians if you choose not to send your children to school tomorrow. If you are keeping your student home Thursday, Dec. 20, please call the Attendance Line at (574) 258-9501 to report your child absent. For more details on reporting absences, please visit https://penn.phmschools.org/attendance.
Please take the time to remind your children to report any unsafe behavior or situation to an adult … see something, say something! P-H-M utilizes the Safe School Helpline® as a confidential way to report school safety concerns. It is Available 24/7 via phone, text or online:
Safe School Helpline®
Call: 1-800-418-6423, ext. 359
Text: TIPS to 66746
Online: SafeSchoolHelpline.com
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at srgaliher@phm.k12.in.us.
Sean Galiher
Principal of Penn High School
