Recent national school-related tragedies have resulted in many school districts in Utah, including right here in Murray, experiencing an increase in students making phony threats or joking about violence at school. While the intent may be made to tease or for fun, these threats are anything but funny. All threats of violence are taken seriously and investigated by police and school officials, even off-hand comments that appear as “obvious’ jokes”. Those who make threats, even as a joke, may receive school and district level discipline in addition to the very real possibility of criminal charges that will follow them for life.
Please take this opportunity to remind your children that making light of serious matters will bring severe consequences. Although they may think their comment or social media post will only be seen by their close friends, their actions can cause a chain reaction that will quickly move beyond their control. We strongly encourage all parents to be vigilant in monitoring their child’s online behavior. Most of the incidents that have led to students landing in serious trouble were tied to a social media post or some other online comment. Many of them raise concerns about bullying behavior, which is also taken very seriously in the Murray City School District.
Resources such as the SafeUT app and your own school administrators continue as excellent options for reporting unsafe or suspicious behavior, and we encourage everyone to be observant and mindful of anything that looks suspicious. Remember: If you See Something … Say Something!
We must work together in our homes and community to support the efforts of our schools to educate your children in a safe environment.
Thank you for your help and support in keeping your students safe.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Covington
Superintendent, Murray City School District
