Did I Promise School officials take proper precautions last week when a teacher discovered a student scribbled names of more than 50 students and teachers on a “Death Note” list?
It’s a question families in Akron Public Schools are asking after the teachers’ union issued a press release accusing the district of mishandling the investigation.
The incident was reported to school administration on Wednesday, Sept. 11, the same day the three-page note was found in a classroom. The teacher involved requested that a school resource officer be stationed outside her classroom after she found the note.
How the I Promise School’s administration responded
I Promise School Principal Stephanie Davis initially completed a threat assessment on the day the note was found, according to an office referral form shared with Signal Akron. The student was counseled by school administration; meanwhile, a phone call was made to the student’s parents.
Davis noted that the student appeared to be emulating “Death Note,” a popular anime show where the protagonist writes names in a book, causing the people to die. Davis said the student recreated the journal as a playful gesture among friends and was unaware of how this “death note” could be perceived by others, according to emails shared with Signal Akron and an APS news release.
“At this time, we have no reason to believe that there was a credible threat or that anybody at the I Promise School or in the student’s life is in danger or harm,” Davis wrote in an email to staff on the evening of Sept. 11.
In an email to Signal Akron, Davis said the school followed the district’s Code of Student Behavior, but declined to answer specific questions due to federal privacy laws.
“After continued evaluation of the situation, additional efforts were made – nothing was minimized or dismissed,” Superintendent Michael Robinson said in a news release. “… We all witnessed the recent event in Georgia and that is why we are highly aware of the importance of school safety.”
(On Sept. 4, a 14-year-old boy opened fire in a Georgia high school, killing four. At least nine others, including one teacher, were taken to a hospital.)
A threatening note would fall under a level-two offense, according to Akron Public Schools’ Code of Student Behavior, which mandates an out-of-school suspension of one to ten days.
Were Akron police notified?
The I Promise School employs at least two dedicated security guards, according to its staff directory — it’s unclear if they were brought into any discussions about the incident. The note found was not reported to the Akron Police Department, according to Lieutenant Eric Wood.
Akron Board of Education policy does not mandate the reporting of all threats to local police, and gives latitude to “an individual’s responsibility to contact 911 in an emergency.” The policy also states that referrals to police will occur as required by state law and board policy.
What is the district’s threat assessment policy?
In 2020, the Akron Board of Education passed a policy that authorizes the superintendent to create “building-level” threat assessment teams that must include the principal. The team is mandated to meet when the principal learns a student has made a threat of violence or engages in “concerning communications.”
State law mandates the creation of threat assessment teams for all school districts in Ohio. The law requires threat assessment teams go through training at least every three years, and develop a threat assessment plan and protocol.
The district’s threat assessment policies loosely follow guidance issued in 2018 by the United States Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center. The guidance advises districts to create threat assessment teams, either at the district or building level, to conduct training for “stakeholders,” and to define concerning and prohibited behaviors, among other recommendations.
What is the faculty union taking issue with?
The teacher who found the note shared their concerns later that day with administrators and union officials.
“I remain very nervous about this note,” the teacher wrote in an email. “In light of recent school shootings where there have been warning signs that were not taken seriously, I am taking this incredibly seriously.”
The teachers’ union conducted its own investigation and said in its news release the district did not follow its policies or notify all of the 52 individuals on the “death note” list.
Union officials felt the school’s response downplayed the gravity of the incident “to prioritize public relations over the safety of students and staff,” according to the union’s release.
“This is an unfortunate situation that could not be predicted – it doesn’t define I Promise or our district,” Robinson said.
“The [AEA] press release is reckless and detrimental to our scholars, educators, and community.”
