Parent urges immediate, plain‑language notification after Jefferson Elementary gun threats; board hears public request for new protocols

A Jefferson Elementary parent told the Morton CUSD 709 Board of Education on Oct. 15 that several gun threats reported this fall were not communicated promptly or clearly to families, and she asked the district to adopt faster, plain‑language notification and tighter threat‑assessment procedures.

“Parents should not have to piece together danger from vague emails,” Jessica Mon told the board during the meeting’s public‑comment period. She said a student made multiple threats in the first three weeks of school, including a threat on a bus and a later threat naming specific students and promising to return after Labor Day with a firearm.

Mon said the district’s written message to families arrived after dismissal on Sept. 2 and asked readers to “see attached file,” without using the words “gun” or “threat.” “As a parent, I had to read between the lines to realize a gun threat had been made against children in my daughter’s school, and that is unacceptable,” she said.

Why it matters: Parents told the board they want clear, fast information when threats are reported and for named students and families to receive direct outreach. Mon asked for four specific changes: plain‑language notification within 60 minutes of any gun threat; direct phone calls to families of students named as targets; threat‑assessment team meetings within 24 hours of a report; and preapproved communication templates so messages are not vague.

District response in meeting: During the report portion of the meeting district officials acknowledged parents’ concerns and said several procedural improvements have been implemented or are under review. District staff described recent investments in visitor management and emergency communication systems — including the Raptor visitor‑management system and a Raptor Emergency Management app — and noted a CloudPoint GIS school‑mapping project tied to the county 911 system that provides detailed building maps to first responders.

In remarks to the board, a district leader said the district had listened to parents and was working to “improve upon our communication process.” The speaker added: “I will own that. I respect the individuals that have come forward” and said leaders were continuing to make things better.

What was not decided: The board did not take a formal vote on a change to notification policy during the meeting. The parent’s requests were presented as public comment; district staff said they would continue to refine communication and safety procedures and pointed to existing and newly rolled‑out tools that support faster, more granular notifications during incidents.

Context and local trends: Mon cited several regional incidents in the prior year — arrests in nearby high schools and middle schools for weapons — to underline the local prevalence of school weapon incidents and the rationale for parents’ demands for quicker communication. District staff said the Raptor system and the GIS mapping project are intended to improve situational awareness and reunification logistics during drills or emergency events.

Next steps noted at the meeting: The board entered closed session later in the evening for matters including “personnel, security and safety procedures, complaint appeal, property, litigation and student discipline.” No formal policy change on notification was approved in open session; parents and the board were told staff would continue to follow up.

Ending: Parents asking for more rapid, direct notification of threats framed their requests as common‑sense safety steps. District officials told the board they had heard parents’ concerns and were working to strengthen communication and emergency‑response processes, while also using new tools that the district says improve recordkeeping and responder coordination.