To All Concerned with the Safety of our Children,
February 28, 2017 - At approximately 8:10 AM on February 28, 2017 one of the Tenaha ISD Administrators received a call from a male in a disguised voice that there was “a bomb in your school”. Immediately thereafter, the TISD administrative team and TISD Police Chief David Jeter took action to evacuate the students and staff to the Tiger Football Field as prescribed in our Crisis Management Plan. The evacuation was announced door to door and silently. It was orderly. There was zero panic or upset with any of the children. And, in all, the entire district was safely relocated within four to five minutes of receiving the call. At that time, TISD admin and support staff along with Mr. Jeter and the Tenaha City Marshall took care to inspect every room, stall, and space in the entire TISD campus to ensure that no device was present or that anything looked suspicious. In all, TISD was evacuated for approximately forty minutes and the all clear was given at around 8:50 AM.
This incident is the second such incident that TISD has responded to this school year. The first resulted in an arrest and prosecution. It is my hope that this will result in the same end. However, a larger issue exists and is problematic. Our current society has become so desensitized to “real-life” that incidents like this are all too often shrugged off as “no big deal” or just “a goof”. People seemingly lack care for the safety and well-being of other people. I am incensed that somewhere someone thought making such a threat was in any way “cool”. I can assure you that with the help of law enforcement, I hope to show the culprit how “cool” it really was. In America, our public schools represent a bastion of safety and nurture. To be exposed to the type of threats that are common to the Middle East or a 3rd World Nation is wrong. Our children deserve better.
To our public and supporters we want you to know that safety is and always will be our FIRST priority. Everything else is impossible without it.
To our detractors and the culprits who would perpetrate such an act, know that the resolve of the Tiger Family is stronger than a phone call.
To our students and staff, as always, it is your care and commitment to one another that creates our Pride. And it is our Pride that makes us the best.
It is my sincere hope that those who read this take a moment to consider what our kids deserve. At the very least, they deserve a reasonable assurance that their safety matters to people everywhere.
Sincerely,
Scott Tyner
