Park City’s Kearns Campus schools were put on a “hold-in-place" status on Friday, a standard safety protocol that clears common areas and secures buildings while classes continue as planned.
The schools went on hold as a precaution around 7:20 a.m. because Park City Police were responding to a suspicious incident across the street from Park City High School. After an investigation, police found there was no threat to students or schools at any time and the hold ended around 8:30 a.m.
During the incident, some parents and students say they were worried and confused. Students were texting parents that schools were on hold and one Park City High School student said rumors were flying when no information was shared. Just before 10 a.m. the district released a joint statement with police informing parents about the incident; some parents said the communication should have come sooner.
Now the district has released an apology for the delay in communication. The message from Superintendent Jill Gildea Friday night said the district realizes its “communication during this event was not as timely as it should have been to alleviate concerns, leading to unnecessary worry and confusion among our families.”
“We sincerely apologize for the distress this delay in communication caused,” Gildea wrote.
She also said the district wants to learn from this experience and is committed to improving its communication protocols. The district aims to “include faster updates and information during any future incident, to prevent the spread of misinformation and to keep [parents] well-informed in real-time.”
Gildea also welcomed parents and guardians to provide feedback so the district can improve communication procedures.
