On Sunday, October 2, 2022 at approximately 8:45 pm, parents of Starr's Mill High school students received notice from school administrators about a written threat discovered in a school bathroom on Friday, September 30. The threat specifically stated that an individual would be bringing a gun to school on Monday, October 3 with the intent to kill anyone they encountered.

School staff took the appropriate measure of contacting local law enforcement for an increased presence at the school on Monday, October 3. However, administration did not inform high school families until late on Sunday, October 2 and did not inform the middle school families (connected to the same building) at all. 

Many families have made the choice to keep their middle and/or high school students home on October 3 due to the late notification from administrators. As of 8:15 am on October 3, middle school parents still have not received an official notification from the middle school administration.

In the message sent to high school parents on the evening of October 2, it is noted that students could expect to see an increased police presence at the school on October 3. As the middle school complex is literally attached to the high school complex, the common sense expectation would be that middle school students would notice the same. Middle school parents who were not made aware of the threat by high school parents sent their children to school today with no warning of what to expect. 

It is the belief of those signing this petition that school administrators have a duty to inform parents of safety concerns as soon as reasonably possible. While it is understood that there may be occasions where such release of news may hinder an investigation, the basic fact remains that parents should be given information in a timely manner so they are able to have the appropriate conversations with their children and make informed decisions for their own families.

Being aware of a threat on a Friday afternoon and not releasing that information until Sunday evening is completely unacceptable and considered by those signing this petition to be a failure at the administrative level. Failing to send a message to middle school parents is also considered by those signing this petition to be a failure at the administrative level. 

We believe in community and we believe that communities should be based on trust. Unfortunately the trust that we as parents have in the SMHS and RSMS administrations has been broken by their lack of communication in this situation.

We request ongoing status updates to the extent that such updates do not interfere with any ongoing investigation. We also request that parents be permitted to meet with administrators and representatives from the Fayette County Sheriff’s office for dialogue on how to best handle these situations in the future. 

-Concerned parents of Fayette County Schools