A Letter from Dr. April Grace, Sept. 1, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians:
At Shawnee Public Schools we know students can best achieve their full potential when they feel safe, secure, and supported. It has come to our attention that there have been separate instances where “fake” or “imitation” anonymous social media accounts have been created with the sole purpose of targeting some of our students as the object of bullying behavior. Some of these incidents involve emotional bullying conducted anonymously through an Instagram account, and may involve several students acting in concert with one another.
We have initiated an investigation into these reports, and we are working closely with our Shawnee Police Department to find the source of these online posts. Our investigations will be assertive and complete, and the consequences will be stern. These behaviors cannot and will not be tolerated.
As you know, bullying behaviors can occur off school grounds and outside of school hours, and to some degree our hands are tied in dealing with those situations, but we still want to be part of the solution. We understand the importance of our partnership with you. We urge you to take time to speak about this very important issue with your student(s).
Please discuss what it means to be a bystander and empower your student to take a stand when witnessing cruel behaviors, as well as regularly check in with your student(s). We encourage you to partner with us to stop these behaviors. Report any suspected bullying to your school administrators or counselors. Take screen shots of Instagram or other social media posts that might be essential to an investigation. And know that we are committed to creating a safe school environment.
If you need to discuss these issues further or if you are concerned your student is either participating in, being targeted by, or witnessing these harmful behaviors, please contact us.
Together, we can work to create a better tomorrow for our students, as we all stay focused on Every Wolf, Every Day!
Respectfully,
April Grace, Ed.D.
Superintendent