Superintendent reports two student deaths and a hoax bomb threat; district describes grief support

Superintendent Keith Howell used his Oct. 27 district update to address two recent crises: the deaths of two students at Lance Cruz North and a noncredible bomb threat at Lance Cruz High School on Oct. 14.

"The past week was an incredibly difficult one for Lance Cruz North. We experienced the loss of two students," Howell said, thanking building staff, counselors and feeder-school administrators for their response and for attending services. He said teams worked to provide support to students, families and staff and that administrators, teachers and counselors had made themselves available as safe spaces.

Howell separately described the Oct. 14 noncredible bomb threat at Lance Cruz High School. He thanked "student staff administration, the transportation department, food service department, families and law enforcement" for quickly implementing safety protocols during the incident. "Even though we had an idea it was a hoax at the time, we still had to manage all of those protocols," he said. Howell said law enforcement is investigating and the district will hold the responsible party accountable.

Howell said the district brought in therapy dogs, extended presence of administrators at buildings, and arranged for additional counseling and outreach following the student deaths. He also reminded staff and teachers about a teacher/staff grant opportunity with an application deadline of Nov. 14.

Board members commended the district response. Several trustees thanked school staff and administrators for rapid support and coordination with law enforcement and described widespread community grief. No disciplinary or investigatory conclusions were announced publicly beyond law enforcement follow-up on the bomb threat.