Message from the Superintendent
This July, I was privileged to be chosen as the superintendent of Raymondville ISD. Since that time, I have experienced a great transition into the Raymondville community. I have enjoyed visiting our local restaurants, speaking with community members and business owners, and getting to know the Raymondville ISD staff. I have been fortunate to engage with so many people around the community and at the sporting events.
With all of this in mind, I would like to take the opportunity to discuss recent events at Myra Green Middle School and Raymondville Early College High School.
On Tuesday October 10th a student at Myra Green Middle School sent a text message to two students at the Raymondville Early College High School stating that there was going to be a school shooting. The two students at high school gave this information to administration, which was relayed to Raymondville ISD Police Department.
The Raymondville Police Department immediately responded and made contact with the students that were involved in the text. After an interview with the students, it was determined to not be a legitimate school threat. An ambulance was called to the high school for an unrelated matter.
The same day, October 10th, at about 10:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. a video was posted on social media depicting a student placing a pistol BB gun into a backpack at Raymondville Early College High School. This video led to the arrest of a student that morning, and the questioning of other students at the school. The investigation revealed that the video was made about two weeks ago, and the student was not in possession of the BB gun on the day he was taken into custody. Also, the investigation determined that the text at the Myra Green Middle School was not connected to the video from the high school.
On the day of the incident, psychological and counseling staff was sent to the campus, and continue to be available to students and staff. If you feel that your child requires counseling services, please contact the campus administrator.
When incidents like this occur, protocols fall into three areas: Prevention, Response and Communication. As superintendent of schools, I believe the district handled the prevention and response well. Students were safe at all times and our staff responded quickly and decisively; but we could have better handled the timeliness of our communication with parents and the community.
Here is what we are doing to improve communication:
In the event of a serious incident, Raymondville ISD will begin its response to keep students and staff safe, and then provide timely communication through mass text, email and phone messaging; posting to our website and social media accounts; and contacting local media outlets.
Messages will be sent to phone numbers and email addresses on file at each campus for parents/guardians and staff. Visit the campus to update your contact information.
Follow Raymondville ISD on Facebook and check our website at www.raymondvilleisd.org
Look for my next Superintendent blog update.
God Bless
Stetson Roane
Go Bearkats!
