Robbinsdale Area School District and board send joint letter apologizing to parents, teachers after recent incidents

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — It was less than a week ago that two semiautomatic guns were found in separate student backpacks at a high school in the Robbinsdale Area School District and this wasn't the first time the district has dealt with safety issues.

This week the Robbinsdale Area School District and school board sent a joint message to parents and teachers acknowledging recent serious incidents in their schools and a formal apology for not notifying the community sooner.

"As a parent on the flip side I feel that angst of not being notified,” school board vice chair Kim Holmes said.

Holmes has four kids in the Robbinsdale Area School District and she is sharing her concerns on her own behalf.

She says this issue of violence, guns and assaults inside Robbinsdale Area Schools was the main issue that drove her to run for school board.

“In all honesty, my husband and I did get to the point where we were asking ‘Do we pull our kids from this district?’ It’s the ‘mama bear’ safety," Holmes said. "I understand that kneejerk reaction of wanting to protect your kids at all costs, but when we asked our kids, they said, 'No this is our community, we have friends we want to stay,' and so that was the discussion in my household before I ran."

The full copy of the letter that was sent out to the Robbinsdale community earlier this week reads as follows:

Dear Robbinsdale Area Schools families, 

In recent days, serious events have taken place in our district. The School Board and Interim Superintendent sincerely apologize for not making a statement to our stakeholders regarding the alleged sexual assault, weapons, fights and other harmful incidents that have occurred. 

If you are experiencing trauma resulting from any of these incidents, please reach out to your building administration or social worker for assistance in accessing resources.

We are committed to reporting back to the community in a February board meeting with action steps that have been taken in an effort to prevent incidents like these from happening again. 

Sincerely,

School Board of Robbinsdale Area Schools

Helen Bassett, Chair

Kim Holmes, Vice Chair

Sharon Brooks, Clerk

John Vento, Treasurer

ReNae Bowman, Director

Greta Evans-Becker, Director

Caroline Long, Director

Marti Voight, Interim Superintendent

RELATED: Two students charged after loaded guns were found in their backpacks

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