Cascade Superintendent Addresses Parental Concerns

Editor's note: I sat down with Superintendent Collins Monday morning in an effort to obtain a statement in response to last Tuesday's regular School Board meeting where several parents, during Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items, expressed concern over the safety of their children due to alleged threats from another student. Because by law the Board cannot deliberate, debate or take any action on any matter presented during Public Comment, neither the Board nor Mr. Collins could respond to their concerns at that time. Furthermore, in an effort to offer an explanation when interviewed by a news station why people didn't understand their position, he said that some of them were "ignorant of the situation" and didn't really know what was going on, this creating a "fire storm" on social media, with some claiming that he called some parents of Cascade "ignorant". He explained that he meant they were "uninformed" of the situation and apologized for any misunderstanding; he would never call anyone "ignorant." Below is a copy of the Superintendent's statement that was sent out a week or so ago, with some minor edits (dates and times), to some select parents of those involved, containing the main information.

“A threat was reported in the school a few weeks ago. Administration immediately took action to ensure the safety of the students. Once students were verified safe, an investigation commenced into the allegation. Cascade County Sheriff’s Department was involved in the investigation, as well as a third-party psychologist who helped conduct a threat assessment. As the investigation has concluded, it was determined that there was not a substantial threat nor means to carry out a threat. All appropriate students involved in this situation have received disciplinary actions in accordance with our discipline policy and federal law. If you have additional questions about this situation as it pertains to your student, you may contact the district. Please keep in mind we will uphold student privacy rights FERPA and FAPE and we will not disclose any information about a student to any person(s) or parties that are not the guardian of that student. Any decisions regarding discipline for students must comply with due process laws, local policies, and federal law which governs how we handle situations like these.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. It grants parents and eligible students (over 18 or attending postsecondary institutions) the right to access and request amendments to these records, while also controlling the disclosure of personally identifiable information. Under FERPA, student discipline records are considered part of a student’s educational records, and schools must protect the privacy of this information. We will disclose what information we are able to disclose while obeying all laws and policies.

Should there be any grievance regarding how this investigation is handled, the district has a process in place for reviewing such concerns. Please refer to the Universal Complaint Procedure in policy.

I appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this matter. Our focus remains on ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all students while upholding our legal obligations. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the school.

I can share that we do feel students and the school itself are safe and are not under any legitimate threat at this time. Immediate action will be taken to ensure the safety of students if a legitimate threat occurs as per our emergency/crisis response plan.

Thank you for your continued support.”