Dear Baldwin families,
At Baldwin Community Schools, the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority.
I am writing to follow up on an incident that resulted in a lockdown on Thursday, September 22nd at Baldwin Community Schools. There was a robbery at a local bank in Luther, during which one of the suspects allegedly threatened to bomb a school. It was not clear which school the suspect was referring to. As a precaution, we went into lockdown at our elementary and junior/senior high school buildings.
No explosive devices were found during the initial search of our buildings that was completed by local law enforcement officials. Following the guidance of law enforcement, we elected to evacuate our buildings and transport students to our reunification center so a more extensive search of our buildings could be performed. The Michigan State Police conducted a search of our buildings and no explosive devices were found. As a result, the district was cleared to resume school on Friday, September 23rd.
I would like to thank the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Newaygo County Sheriff’s Office, and the Michigan State Police for responding quickly and helping us keep our kids safe.
I would also like to reiterate that we have zero tolerance for threats, intimidation, harassment or violence of any kind at Baldwin Community Schools.
We have several security measures and plans in place, including a strong relationship with local law enforcement and a school resource officer at the district daily. We have law enforcement notification protocols, lockdown procedures, as well as evacuation and reunification plans. We are continuously evaluating our emergency procedures and making changes to improve our response to threats.
Thank you again for your cooperation as we work to maintain a safe environment for children to learn and thrive.
Sincerely,
David Forrester
Superintendent
Baldwin Community Schools