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School safety protocol in the works for Tucson Unified School District

Posted at 6:09 PM, Feb 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-21 20:09:45-05

Some staff at Cholla High School are reacting to the principal's response to a threat Tuesday afternoon.

Social media lit up Tuesday night after word spread that a student made a threat to the school around 2 p.m. But teachers tell us they did not find out until hours later.

Staff briefed Principal Frank Armenta on the incident before 4 p.m., he then called the district and Tucson police and worked with them for a few hours.

Later in the evening, around 7 p.m., Armenta notified the teachers and parents. He followed up the next morning with another email with the latest developments and thanked the staff for keeping him informed.

Those who reached out to KGUN 9 On Your Side say out of professional courtesy, Armenta should have called staff to an emergency meeting to discuss any concerns they may have had.

Armenta tells us he understands their concerns, but he felt the situation was under control. He says he appreciates all the feedback he's received today from staff, students and parents, and he's also learning better ways to handle school threats.

The Tucson Unified School District said, generally speaking, the principal will send communications to their communities unless they are busy handling a particular situation, investigation or crisis. There are no specific time frames on when to notify staff and parents.

KGUN 9 On Your Side has learned the district is formalizing a written threat assessment protocol to be rolled out in next few weeks.