Brookfield school Superintendent Toby Gibson admitted that the thought ran through his mind to cancel Saturday’s Coffee with the Superintendent, because he knew not everyone was happy with the way a student’s alleged threat to bring a gun to school was handled earlier in the week.
But, he went through with the event, opening himself up to whatever parents had to say, and addressing the incident when asked.
Gibson said he was informed at about 9 p.m. Wednesday of the threat, but didn’t know the legitimacy of the information and called Brookfield police. Police were able to identify a 13-year-old boy and charged him in juvenile court with inducing panic.
Word of the incident started reaching the general public at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, when Gibson informed parents and guardians in a recorded phone message that the threat had been reported, police had been called in and the threat no longer existed.
In social media posts, some parents questioned the timing of the call, as it occurred after students already were in school. Parents did not have the option of deciding whether they thought it was safe to send their kids to school, some said.
“A lot of parents think it took away control of our own kids’ safety,” parent Howard Agueda told Gibson Saturday.
“I think there needs to be better communication between the school and the parents,” said Agueda’s wife, Lesley. “I just want to know that all the steps were taken to make my kids safe and secure. If I didn’t come to this meeting today, I wouldn’t know that.”
Gibson said that after he informed police of the report, he was told by police at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday that there no longer was a threat. He again met with police at about 7:30 a.m. It wasn’t until just before the call went out that he believed he had all the information he needed.
“By the time I had all the details, parents were dropping kids off,” Gibson said.
The Aguedas’ questions inferred a lack of trust in the school administration and police, something that Gibson said he wants to work on from his side.
“I don’t know that there’s a sense of trust between the community and the school, the police and the school,” he said.
Gibson also said that he has much at stake in wanting the school to be as safe for students and staff as possible: he has two children who attend the school.
Brookfield Trustee Ron Haun said it is important that the community believes in its leaders. He said social media is a great way for people to communicate, but not for people to get facts. Often times, people express opinions about decisions without knowing the full range of facts that led to the making of those decisions, he said.
“I was proud of the way they handled the situation, and the police handled the situation,” Haun said.
Elementary teacher Jay Bodnar said the staff trusts Gibson.
“We’re in the building, too,” Bodnar said. “Toby, he has communicated with us wonderfully, as a staff. We have all the confidence in him. There is no guy who worries more about your children than that guy (Gibson).”
Parent Megan Krepps said she thinks parents and guardians don’t always know or understand what staff members can or cannot say about a situation, particularly when a student’s rights are involved.
Brookfield Police Cpl. Scott Thompson said he was not part of the investigation into the threat, but he said investigations typically are fluid and dynamic. They change according to new information received, and the pace of change can be fast or slow.
“You have to be patient,” he said, asking for people to let the police do their job and to trust that they are doing it right.
“My job is to make sure your kids are safe,” he said.
Parent Monica Fortuna said her son was interviewed as part of the investigation into the threat.
“I think it was handled the right way,” she said.
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