Parents urge district to bar student after threatening messages; administrators say process followed

A public commenter (identified in the transcript only as a parent) told the board their 10-year-old daughter and others were named in voice messages containing threats of murder, castration and hanging, and urged the superintendent to bar the student from Holland Middle School. "You gotta get this kid out," the speaker said, pleading with the board and superintendent to prioritize student safety.

Michael Rush, who introduced himself as the stepfather of a targeted student and as a Monroe BOCES employee, said he heard the threatening messages sent on Oct. 4 and that the district had deemed them a "non-credible threat." He urged the district to place the student in a program able to manage the student's needs and asked what steps the district will take to prevent harm. "By not taking a firm stance today and allowing the student in question to return to the Holland Middle School, I fear that we are fostering an atmosphere for greater mass damage," Rush said.

District staff responded that administrators have followed the district code of conduct, worked with law enforcement and attorneys, and put a comp (safety) plan in place with counselors and principals; the staff member said they are committed to transparency but cannot disclose details publicly. The board noted printed copies of the district—threat-assessment policy and assessment were available on the table for attendees. The transcript records speakers pressing about SRO (school resource officer) staffing cuts and the relationship between staffing choices and emergency response time.