On Sept 22, Albert Lea Area School district went on a secure hold after the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department received information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that a current ALHS student had made a credible threat online. 

“The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department shared with Albert Lea Police Department, Officer Conn specifically, that they had received information from the FBI that a student had made a threat against the schools in an online platform,” said ALHS Principal Sean Gaston. “Once Officer Conn got that message, he was working pretty quickly. He reached out to Dr. Heil, Superintendent, and a couple of other district leaders, and they started putting a plan in place to make sure that our school is going to be safe.”

The high school police liaison Officer Conn informed Dr. Heil, the superintendent, around 7:40 A.M. The individual was in custody within an hour after administration was informed. The school bus that the individual was on was redirected so that Officer Conn could take custody of the student who made online threats. The individual did not arrive at the high school. There were not any weapons on the student or the bus. Thanks to the quick coordination between agencies and the school, the student was taken into custody before the start of the school day.

“One of those things that is really impressive is between the time that Officer Conn figured out that this threat had happened to the point where that student was in custody was no more than an hour and so. He worked really fast,” said Gaston. But Officer Conn wasn’t the only one who helped to quickly resolve the issue. “The bus driver did a great job of working with the bus company and law enforcement. They are an unsung hero.”

At 8 A.M. The district took precautionary measures and went into secure holds. The ALPD were dispatched to the schools. A secure hold means ‘Get Inside. Lock the Outside Doors.’ In a message that went out to the community, from Darci Rasmussen the Executive Administrative Assistant to School Board and Superintendent, “Due to the timeframe of many students already at school, Albert Lea Area Schools had all students move into their buildings and some went into secure mode due to the nature of the threat. Law enforcement from both agencies were promptly deployed to local schools to ensure safety.”

Staff at the high school directed students to their first hour classes. There was a hold during first hour which means ‘Stay in Your Room. Clear the Halls’. Teachers conducted their classes as usual. At 8:54 A.M., the secure status and hold were lifted and high school staff was informed through email that the student of interest was in custody.

During second period, there was an unrelated medical hold called. By third hour, Gaston addressed the student body over the PA system during Flex sharing facts and assurance. 

Families and staff were updated by the superintendent and principal via email throughout the day. Over 400 students were called out of school on Sept. 22, and over 800 were called out on Sept. 23 as social media rumors continued. Law enforcement investigated and confirmed there was no threat. The administrative team emailed families and staff Monday night. “The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department, Albert Lea Police Department, Albert Lea Area Schools, and Albert Lea High School continued to investigate throughout last night and today on the Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media posts that have been circulating among students, families, and community members. We were able to determine there is no credibility to those posts. We were able to determine the origin of the posts. The school district and law enforcement take this type of behavior very seriously as it has had a huge impact on our educational system and overall community.  The school district is currently using its disciplinary procedures for this situation, and law enforcement is following the statutory process for this case. Law enforcement had an increased presence at Albert Lea High School to provide assurance and additional security for students,staff, and families.” 

Gaston said he received over 100 emails from people sharing the posts, plus phone calls, texts and people stopping into the high school.

“People took it [the online threats] seriously and, obviously, you don’t want that much panic and that much stress from everyone, but that’s what has to happen,” said Gaston. “That gave law enforcement six hours to look through and make sure we were going to be safe to come to school. That’s one of the things that community does, is we look out for each other, and when something’s off, we share it.”

Gaston shared a similar message when he addressed the student body on Tiger Vision the next morning. He said the only way we keep the building safe is together by sharing information. Gaston wants to educate families on the vocabulary of school emergencies and encourages families to talk openly with their students about safety, online behavior and reporting concerns. Encourage students that if something feels off, to share it with an adult.

“As adults, we have to be willing to ask questions,” said Gaston. “We’ve got to be willing to have tough conversations. I think a lot of times adults dismiss the idea of the power of students or how much you can change.”

The investigation is still ongoing, however, students and staff have been trying to boost morale. On Sept. 24, the Link Leaders wore their Link Crew shirts, and lifted up spirits by greeting people and checking in on them, reminding us that a smile could go a long way.