Superintendent: No credible threat after John Glenn High School student posted rap video

WALKERTON, Ind. -- A rap video posted by a John Glenn High School student had parents, teachers and students concerned. The song had lyrics about bringing guns to school.

Superintendent of the John Glenn School Corporation, Christopher Winchell, sent a letter to parents reassuring them the issue was investigated and there is no threat to student safety.

Here is the superintendent's full letter:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Good morning and thank you for your time and attention to this email.

I wanted to take a moment to make everyone in the JGSC family aware that there has been an issue circulating about a threat of violence at our high school. This situation has ignited on social media, text message circles, and the like. It began as a result of a rap song that one of our students recited on their own personal social media account. It is very important to note that law enforcement, building administration, and central office administration have diligently investigated and reviewed this concern as soon as it was brought to our attention. At this time, under the guidance of the Walkerton Police Department, we can find no evidence to believe that this has any credibility as a true safety concern!

Regrettably, acts of school violence have increased over the last two decades. When tragedies happen anywhere in the country it impacts all of us as students, parents, educators, and Americans. When items of this nature surface in our own community, it also makes us concerned, rightly so, about the safety of our local schools. Please know that the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and campuses are always the number one priority of myself and the entire School Corporation. We have safety plans and procedures in place, but incidences like these nationally and locally call upon us to reflect and review these plans even more closely. We have and will continue to do this.

You will likely hear your children talking about how their teachers and/or principals are reviewing safety protocol throughout the year. You will also likely hear your children comment that they have seen local law enforcement more visible in our school buildings in general this school year. Please do not be alarmed. We have an excellent partnership with all our local agencies, especially our police departments. We are fortunate to have them on campus regularly through our SRO Program. Because of the expansion of the program and a general team effort, there will be times when multiple officers are on campus at the same time. These are just some of the efforts we have put into place over the years, and continue to work for improvement for our overall safety plans.

I am extremely confident that at this time there is no reason to believe that our schools are any less safe today than they have been prior to this situation. I say this not only as the superintendent and leader, but I also say this as a father with four children sitting in JGHS and WES classrooms right at this moment.

We are a proud community with faith in our schools and local authorities. When issues and situations of this nature arise, I count on all of you to be unwavering in that same confidence, and to help your children feel comforted reassuring them that our schools are very safe. It is also important to allow those of us in our positions the time it requires to perform our due diligence, handle the situation properly, and then share accurate, proper information with all of you, when appropriate.

It is important to note in this day and age of lightning fast communication that as a school district we wrestle with countless student items on a daily basis. More often than not we do not communicate these to our community for many reasons. However, when we are made aware that there is a community concern we will make every effort to share with all of you in a professional and sensitive way.

Even though we live in unsettling times, we must come together in support of each other as one JGSC Team. Our teamwork is particularly important during situations of this nature.

Thank you for your continued support, and thank you so very much for your steadfastness in light of these concerning times in which we live!

Sincerely, Christopher Winchell, Superintendent