URGENT Communication to Families

Dear LGSD Community and Families:

This morning, Friday, November 4th, the school site principal and the administrative team at Lemon Grove Academy Middle School made a decision to close the campus, out of an abundance of caution. A large amount of misinformation circulating on social media that the school was closed due to a student-to-student sexual assault on campus, this is not true. We take all allegations of sexual assault and violence very seriously.

The facts of the case are as follows: before the school day ended on Thursday, November 3rd, a staff member discovered a written threat on the wall in a stall inside of the boys restroom. Immediately, the school administrative team contacted local law enforcement for their support. Based on all available information and in the professional judgment of local law enforcement, it was determined that there was no credible threat of violence to the school. At this time, this is the extent of what we are allowed to share with the public.

To reiterate, based on a thorough assessment by law enforcement, we do not believe any school is currently unsafe or under a credible threat of violence.

If your child was sent home from the middle school, if you voluntarily kept your child home today, or if you came and picked your child up from school today, we ask for them to return back to school on Monday, November 7th. We will have a professional support team in place at all schools available to help students and families to address any concerns or issues. We apologize for the inconvenience and disruption this may have caused.

We rely on and follow the expertise and judgment of our local law enforcement partners. We believe that all of our schools are safe places and it is of the utmost importance to us to maintain the safety and security of our campuses. We are prepared to receive children at school on Monday and focus on our primary mission of educating all children well.

Thank you for your support and collaboration at this time; if you have any further questions or concerns, you may contact the district office at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Erica Balakian

Superintendent