District Logo with Tiger

February 7, 2023

LPS Employees and Families,

Today, we were notified by Michigan State Police that a number of Michigan school districts were affected by false reports of an active shooter on their campuses.  From what we understand, schools received internet-based phone calls with these threats, which turn out to be unsubstantiated.  It appears to be part of a hoax known as “swatting” that is targeting schools across the country.

While Lawrence Public Schools has NOT experienced this issue directly, we know many of our families and employees may be understandably concerned about school safety. Please know the safety and well-being of our students and staff is always a top priority.  We take all reports of potential threats seriously and make every effort to ensure students and staff feel safe.

“Swatting” incidents-threats made to schools with the purpose of triggering a response by police and first responders-create fear and unrest throughout school communities and disrupt first responder agencies.  States across the U.S. have experienced similar mass “swatting” attempts in recent weeks, including several other schools in Michigan today.

We encourage our students and school community to report anything that could be a threat to school safety.  We will continue to work closely with the Lawrence Police Department, Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police leaders and officers to assist us in these situations.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Gendron, Superintendent gretchengendron@lawrencetigers.com