Livingston Parish Schools and Sheriff’s Office Partner on Safety Message
LIVINGSTON, La. – Livingston Parish Public Schools and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office have joined together to address an important issue that has surfaced in recent weeks involving social media threats targeting schools.
These threats, while often non-credible, can create significant disruptions to learning and impact the well-being of students and staff. These threats also obligate law enforcement to detract from other concerns across the parish.
Superintendent Jody Purvis and Sheriff Jason Ard have
created a video that will be posted across various social media platforms informing the community of how to appropriately deal with threatening materials. The video can be seen on the district website at
www.lpsb.org.
At the same time, the school system has mandated all middle school and high school campuses to teach a lesson on the severe consequences of making threats, as well as the appropriate way to handle and report threatening material to authorities.
“It is crucial for both students and parents to understand the vital role they play in maintaining a safe school environment. This is a very serious issue, but by working together and responding to these situations with care and caution, we can prevent unnecessary disruptions and keep our schools safe,” Purvis said.
“We trust you to work with us because we all want the same thing here - a safe environment for our children to thrive,” Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard said.
The following safety tips are recommended:
· Do Not Share or Repost Threats -- Sharing or reposting threats, even if done out of concern, can cause unnecessary alarm and interfere with investigations. The goal of those making these threats is often to create fear and chaos, and the continued circulation of such posts amplifies that impact.
· Report to Authorities or a Trusted Adult -- If your child encounters a threatening post, the best course of action is to immediately report it to a trusted adult, such as a teacher or administrator, and to law enforcement. This ensures the appropriate authorities can quickly and effectively investigate the situation. Reports can also be made directly to district administrators through its Safe Schools platform at www.safeschoolsla.com
· Stay Informed and Cautious -- We encourage families to have open conversations with their children about the responsible use of social media and the consequences of sharing harmful content. Those found to be inappropriately sharing or posting threatening content will be subject to disciplinary action per the district’s Student/Parent Handbook.