Roundup Parents Pull Kids From School After Safety Scare

Roundup Parents Pull Kids From School After Safety Incident

A recent incident in Roundup has some parents pulling their kids out of the local elementary school and turning to homeschooling instead.

The parents say they've lost confidence in the school district after an alleged threat involving a student who may have had a gun.

What Happened During the Roundup School Safety Incident?

According to reporting from KTVQ, the Roundup school district learned around 11 a.m. that a student may have been in possession of a weapon. School staff immediately brought the student to the principal's office and searched both the student and their belongings, but no weapon was found.

The biggest concern for parents, though, is how long it took the district to notify them. Parents weren't informed until around 8:30 that evening, even though many had already heard about the incident through social media.

Two parents, Katie Wilson and Georgia Hiltz, are among those who have decided to withdraw their children and homeschool them instead. They say it comes down to whether they can trust the district to keep them informed about potential safety concerns.

Even parents who are keeping their kids enrolled are looking for answers and want to know what's being done to prevent something like this from happening again.

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Roundup Superintendent Defends District's Response

Roundup Superintendent Josiah Mayfield defended the district's response, saying officials determined the threat wasn't credible and waited until they were ready to communicate the necessary information.

There's also the issue of student privacy laws in Montana, which can limit what the district is allowed to share about individual students.

Mayfield acknowledged that the district is always looking for ways to improve its policies, procedures, and training to help parents feel more confident in the district's approach to school safety.