The Town of Manlius Police Department is investigating a social media post threatening violence at ESM High School.
Around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday September 9th, police became aware of the post.
According to police, the threat came after Saturday nights homecoming semi-formal dance, however it is unknown if the threat was the result of an incident that took place at the dance. Law enforcement was present at dance and say there were no weapons used, mentioned or located.
The ES-M Central School District's Superintendent Dr. Donna DeSiato sent a letter to parents and families; stating that there were three fights that took place at the dance, each of the fights were unrelated and are currently being investigated. Following the event, district officials became aware of an anonymous threat, which according to DeSiato, included "racist sentiments." The threat was texted to a student who then took a screen shot of the text exchange and posted it on social media.
The threat has prompted the school district to announce classes will be held remotely on Monday September 26th and all afterschool and athletic events at the high school will be cancelled or relocated. All other schools will function as normal.
You can read the full statement here:
Dear Parents & Families,
Last night at our Homecoming Dance, three separate incidents of unacceptable student behavior occurred. Within hours, we also learned that a racist (and anonymous) threat was texted to a student that indicated violence would take place at school on Monday, September 26.
This letter is intended to communicate the District’s response to these inappropriate behaviors and serious threat, and alert you to schedule changes at the high school for tomorrow.
Our preliminary investigation, along with that of Manlius Police, has determined that the three incidents of inappropriate behavior by several students at the Homecoming Dance were unrelated to one another. Further, there were not any weapons present; no influence or presence of outside agitators; nor any pre-planning of confrontation or violence against any specific individuals or groups.
Staff members, local police officers, and security guards were assigned to the dance to ensure that our safety promises were met. All students bags were secured in a separate area prior to being allowed access to the dance area. Additional police were called to the scene as the incidents unfolded.
Each of the three incidents focused on student behaviors and/or reactions that are inappropriate and violate our Code of Conduct. In one of the cases, female students argued about texting one another, which ultimately led to a fight. In the second, a boy allegedly shared inappropriate photos of himself with a girl or girls, who confronted him, and this also became physical. In the third incident, words were exchanged between female students, which resulted in a fight. All of these are still under investigation.
In the wake of these incidents, we were also made aware of a related anonymous threat of violence at school tomorrow. The threat, which included racist sentiments, was texted to a student, who posted it on social media. The district is fully investigating all of these actions, as are members of law enforcement. While we are prevented by law from commenting on individual student discipline, please know that the district will certainly exercise its significant disciplinary responsibilities and options in response to these incidents.
Based upon the threat of violence that was made last night, we have decided to conduct remote instruction at the high school tomorrow, September 26. All afterschool and athletic events at the HS will be cancelled or relocated. All other schools will function as normal for Monday, September 26.
This was our first Homecoming Dance without health protocols since 2019. Many were excited to finally participate in a student event in an unencumbered manner. It is so deeply distressing that a small handful of students would exercise such poor judgment and negatively impact the experiences of so many others, and our high school leaders will have a great deal to say about this issue to students in the coming days and weeks. We expect nothing less than the highest degree of personal responsibility and respect for one another in our schools.
The District continues to work closely with law enforcement on this matter and you can expect additional updates from me as more is learned or as developments necessitate. We appreciate the information that has been shared with the Town of Manlius Police Department tip line and we value the community’s ongoing support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Donna DeSiato
Superintendent of Schools
This comes just over a month after an ESM student was arrested for making a threat with a gun on a school bus.
Manlius police are working with the ESM school district to identify the person who made the post. Anyone with additional information is being asked to contact the Town of Manlius Police Department Tips line at 315-682-8673 or send tips to tips@manliuspolice.org.