Increased Police Presence Today

Dear Rolla 31 Families,

You may be aware of the increase in social media threats against schools across the state this week. Early this morning, both Mark Twain Elementary and Rolla Middle School were mentioned in threatening social media posts. While we do not believe these threats to be credible, we are working with local law enforcement to investigate and bolster security; therefore, you will see an increased police presence at all campuses this morning. 

These incidents cause stress on our students and families, as well as our staff. They also disrupt the learning environment. We appreciate our administrators and local law enforcement partners who work quickly and thoroughly to investigate these threats. However, if it’s age-appropriate, we ask that you talk to your student about the seriousness of making a threat. Please help us emphasize to all students that making a threat against a public school whether it occurs on social media, in conversation, as writing on a bathroom wall, or in any other format has serious legal and disciplinary consequences. As a district, we will process all incidents in fulfillment of our district’s policies with support from our Rolla Police Department and our local juvenile office. Please also talk to your student about reporting any threatening post or communication to our school staff and police. We will continue to encourage an environment where students, staff, and families feel empowered to report anything that might be suspicious or out of the ordinary; prompt reporting is important in helping us to be proactive in maintaining a safe school environment. If you see a social media threat, please don’t forward or repost it. Instead, take a screenshot and share it with our school administrators and police. Sharing the post makes it harder to find out who started it and slows down the investigation. A few additional requests. Do not seek answers on social media. If you have a question, please contact us directly. Help us stop the spread of rumors. Our commitment to you is to do all we can to keep our students and staff safe. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kyle Dare

Rolla 31 Superintendent