By Stephanie Irvine

The Manhattan School Board District 114 took the opportunity at its monthly board meeting to discuss in more detail an unfounded safety threat made by a Manhattan Junior High student earlier that day.

Superintendent Ron Pacheco began the meeting with a statement, explaining what had transpired earlier that day without explicitly stating the exact nature of the threat.

“This morning, our office was apprised of a concerning Snapchat that was done outside of school time, and the message needed to be investigated immediately due to the nature of the message,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco continued, explaining that while the investigation took place, the district placed the school on a “hold,” which secured students in their classrooms while the school day went on as usual. He explained a hold is limited to one school and eliminates hallway traffic without causing undue stress.

The threat was determined to be unfounded approximately two hours after the district became aware of it, at which time parents were notified by email of what had occurred.

Pacheco explained the actions that took place during the “hold” were part of the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), whereas a “lockdown” is district-wide. It occurs when imminent danger is present, such as when a weapon is present. A lockdown also coincides with “immediate and intermittent communication” via text message that could include up-to-the-minute communication.

“We will always do our best to communicate as much information as we are at liberty to share and assure you of transparency in any situation with any factual actual threat or concern. We ask parents trust that if specific information has not been shared, then the investigation did not result in any type of such concern or potential harm,” Pacheco noted.

During Pacheco’s statement, he apologized to the parents of fourth and fifth-grade orchestra students for an oversight, presumably that did not inform them of the “hold” situation. Pacheco stated he took full ownership and said it was his mistake alone. Pacheco also praised the Manhattan Police Department and the Manhattan Fire Protection District.

Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli, present at the district’s meeting, stated the SRP plan was implemented about a year ago and was a “textbook definition of how it’s supposed to go.”

“There was no doubt this was a very isolated incident. This was a very secure building during this time,” Gulli stated.

“Not only am I, your police chief, responsible to everyone in this town, but I have skin in the game. I have kids in this building, so I’m not going to do anything to place anyone in danger, let alone my own children,” Gulli said, emphasizing he was proud of the district’s handling of the issue.

Gulli also acknowledged School Resource Officer Bernard, who also was present at the meeting, had about a 30-second response time, as he was outside directing traffic when the principal’s notification came through.

Manhattan Junior High Principal Vince Perillo echoed Pacheco and Gulli’s comments.

Prior to the board meeting, the district issued a brief statement on social media acknowledging there was a “situation that was addressed.” The post assured parents the district has their students’ utmost safety in mind and was linked to a longer website statement.

The website statement acknowledged school officials became aware of a “concerning communication via social media” the morning of September 11 and, in order to “avoid any unnecessary concern for students,” the junior high school was placed on a “hold,” while the threat was investigated by the district, along with the Manhattan Police Department.

The district’s handling of the threat caused some parents to turn to social media, sparking discussion and some critical comments. Despite the online chatter, only two parents showed up to the meeting to address the board, and each offered great praise to how the district handled the issue.

“Today, being Patriot Day, does give us a sort of heightened sense of awareness, a little bit of anxiety, so maybe that contributed to the community’s response to such an email,” Aultz said.

Aultz also said she hoped any changes moving forward would not be at the expense of support curriculum, noting its positive impact to students. Additionally, she wanted to thank the board for bringing back curriculum night.

After Aultz, parent Annette Roemer addressed the board, also offering her gratitude of the district’s handling of the incident.

“The very thing people are complaining about on Facebook is the phones. They want their kid to have access to the phone – the very issue that caused this issue. That’s where I have the biggest problem. We’re wanting them to have the phones back in class, but that’s what’s causing this,” Roemer said, urging the district to evaluate that policy.

In other items of business at the meeting, the board held public hearings for and approved the FY2025 Budget and the e-learning plan that was submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education. Pacheco praised the district’s accountant, Sarah Bancsy, for her work putting together the budget.

Kim Maher also reported the district just recently had re-instated the Memorandum of Understanding with the Manhattan Police Department, which provided for the school resource officers. She emphasized how useful the officers were, especially during the investigation of the threat.

Pacheco stated the district began the school year with a motivational speaker, which started everything off well. He noted that the ease of overcrowding was palpable with the first student’s arrival.

Pacheco also advised the district is doing a deep-dive with Lincoln-Way Transportation to address transportation challenges, since they have four facilities.

Board President John Burke noted the Village of Manhattan had sent a letter addressing the different items the district had wanted along Smith Road. The letter outlined who was responsible for what, such as sidewalks. Burke thanked Mayor Mike Adrieansen for his help.

All of the administrator reports were positive in nature, stating that the school district had started out on a great note. Currently, the district’s student enrollment is at 1,982 students.

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.