In the wake of an alleged rape earlier this month at the
Ypsilanti High School, the School District handling of the notification of
parents that the incident had occurred has emerged as a major topic of
discussion in the community.
Parents have expressed their concern about both the delay in
the notification and how it was handled.
The incident occurred on a Thursday, and the district
notified parents through its automated phone messaging system on Monday of
the following week.
At least one parent expressed concern because her child
answered the phone and received the message about the attack.
There have been other concerns raised about this incident,
as well, including how school officials responded to the actual incident.
Many rumors got mixed into the facts of what happened
because of the way district officials handled the situation.
Obviously, great care must be used when one student is
attacked by another student, but district officials should keep in mind that
the quicker it responds properly to an incident and the quicker it provides
accurate information to the community, the better for all concerned.
In the wake of this incident, district officials would be
wise to review everything that happened and then make revisions to policies
and procedures that will minimize the confusion and maximize the amount of
accurate information that flows quickly and in an appropriate manner to the
community.
