BROOKINGS – Brookings Police Department investigators have determined the identity of and obtained a confession from the student who wrote a note that threatened violence, resulting in the closure of all Brookings School District schools on Tuesday.
Late Monday afternoon, a member of the Brookings High School staff discovered the note.
Brookings School District Superintendent Dr. Klint Willert and Brookings Police Chief Dave Erickson said that they arrived at the decision to close the public schools and halt school activities planned for Tuesday at about 8:45 p.m. Monday since they had no leads on who wrote the note at the time.
According to Willert, the threat was ambiguous enough to warrant the closure of all the schools and not just the high school.
The Boys & Girls Club of Brookings, St. Thomas More Catholic School and GracePoint Preschool also called the day off in response, the latter two because they follow the Brookings School District schedule.
By Tuesday morning, Erickson reported that investigators were following up on “some small leads,” and by Tuesday afternoon, they had a student identified as the writer of the note and a confession from the individual.
Erickson said that the student “did not have the intent or means to carry out the threat.”
He added that regardless of intent, these matters are taken very seriously by the school district and law enforcement, and that the case will be sent to the Brookings County State’s Attorney’s Office for review for potential criminal charges.
Willert added that “the school district has and will continue to take this situation seriously and will seek to impose disciplinary action according to school board adopted policy as well as state and federal law.”
School district policy forbids threats of harm to others, and students who violate this policy can be suspended and/or expelled.
According to Erickson, all members of the Brookings Police Criminal Investigations Division and both school resource officers were assigned to the investigation under the direction of Assistant Police Chief Derrick Powers.
Since there is no longer a threat to students or staff, all school functions will resume as normal on Wednesday, with administrators and counseling staff working to help any student during their return to school.
“In our commitment to provide a safe and secure school environment and experience for students and staff, we want to support the needs of students and staff as they return to their schools and classrooms. If your child has a concern, please encourage them to visit with the school district staff as we support your child’s return to school,” Willert said.
Willert and Erickson were thankful for the supportive, positive feedback they’ve heard from parents, students, staff and community members while the investigation was ongoing.
Now that there has been a resolution to the investigation, both the Brookings Police Department and the Brookings School District will take this chance to review their responses to the event and evaluate their performances, and find ways to improve the systems they each have in place. In the meantime, however, both are happy with how things were handled.
“Looking at this right now, I’m very pleased with how it went,” Erickson said. “I’m very pleased with how the school district and our officers worked together and interacted for this resolution.”
“I can’t say enough positive things about the work of the Brookings Police Department to help us find resolution to this matter,” Willert said. “It was really through their efforts and the joint collaboration that we were able to get this result in a timely fashion and not extend the delay of school any further than we’ve already had.”
Even though things have resolved quickly and safely, the old advice, “See something, say something,” still applies to ensure a safe learning environment, Willert said.
“School safety and security is the responsibility of everybody, whether it’s students or staff, administration or parents, community members,” Willert said. “We all need to take proactive steps to ensure the safety and security of our students and our children.”
Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.
