In a special edition of 6425 News Nov. 8, Principal Scott Meyers addressed concerns from parents, guardians, students and staff about two social media posts. According to Meyers in a special edition of 6425 News, one post is of a student with a confederate flag on their shoulders, and the second involves a general threat to “SLP.”

“In the St. Louis Park Public School District we believe that everyone has equal intrinsic worth,” Meyers said. “We will continue to work as a school community to create a caring environment that embraces individual differences in order to provide a safe and nurturing environment that energizes and enhances the spirit of our students and staff.”

According to assistant principal Jessica Busse, the administration sent out the special edition of 6425 News because of the concerns they had heard from the community. 

“We wanted to address (the posts) because there was some fear associated with it, and we wanted to make sure that our families and students knew we were on top of it and we were taking care of everything we need to take care of,” Busse said. 

In 6425 News, Meyers said the administration and St. Louis Park Police believe the posts are unrelated and the threat is not credible. Meyers went on to say Park prioritizes student safety and a nurturing environment for all students. 

According to Busse, the community’s response to 6425 News update was a mix of gratitude and wishing they had been notified earlier. 

“It’s always a balancing act of how early is too early. We have had a lot going on in the last 24 hours, so we have been working to make sure that all the excitement around things that deserve our excitement is also acknowledged and that we are not only focusing on the negative,” Busse said.

Sophomore Anna Overall said she believes the students should be disciplined firmly, even while it may be considered a First Amendment issue.

“My thoughts are that those kids need to be talked to a little bit more,” Overall said. “I understand the First Amendment in the sense that they have freedom of speech, but I think there are a lot of kids that just don’t feel safe in those classes anymore that contain those kids.”

 Junior Micheal Boxley-Harmon said the situation forced him to re-assess his relationships within Park’s community.

“It was very shameful. I thought this community was good all the way, but apparently not everywhere is good,” Boxley-Harmon said. “It just really shocked me and made me think more about what’s around me and the people I associate with.”