Parents upset over North Davis Junior High timing in communicating about alleged gun incident

CLEARFIELD — Extra safety measures are being taken at North Davis Junior High School, where police investigated an incident involving a student on Tuesday.

“A student in one of the special education classes had made a comment, out of frustration, about possibly bringing a gun to school,” said Devin Rogers, assistant chief Devin Rogers of the Clearfield City Police Department.

Rogers said that after the police had spoken with the student and their parents, police had determined there was no credible threat.

“There was no evidence that he had the ability to carry out the said threat. They talked with parents, they ended up keeping the kid home the next day,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile, several parents have expressed their concerns as word of the incident got out and rumors started spreading.

On Thursday, the school released the following statement:

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

I want to let you know that we have been inundated with unsubstantiated rumors claiming that the school has been dealing with a gun threat, that a video exists of a gun and that a student has been arrested.

There is no truth to the rumors. They are false and unfounded. 

We take all rumors seriously. We have spent countless hours looking into all of them and have included our friends at the Clearfield Police Department. Again, there is no truth to any of the rumors. 

Because some students have become concerned about what they have heard, police will be present at our school the rest of the week.

That being said, our “See Something, Say Something” mantra always exists. Anytime someone hears, reads or sees something that makes them feel uncomfortable, they are to share that directly with school personnel. That assistance will always help us keep our school safe.

Thank you for your continued support.

Though the statement didn’t provide specific information about the incident, it said the school was inundated with unsubstantiated rumors including a gun threat. The email said there is no truth to the rumors.

Rogers said the school resource officer and other staff members have spent several hours investigating the rumors and have found no evidence of a threat.

“It’s really concerning for me,” said Heidi Putman, a parent.

Putman said she isn’t just concerned about the incident but the school’s response.

“Parents should be able to find out right [away so] we have a choice, if we want to send our kids to school or not. They could say it’s a rumor, but who knows if the rumor is going to turn into something,” she said.

Considering the reality of today’s world, Putman said you can never be too careful, and she wants faster communication from the school.

“If it happened two days ago, I should have known about it that day,” Putman said.

The Davis School District and Clearfield City Police Department emphasized their encouragement for students to continue reporting incidents and their concerns.

“It is better to have and investigate misinformation than no information at all,” Rogers said.

The school district provided its emergency guidelines for parents to review.