Dear Parents, Guardians and Members of the Parkside Community:
I write today to inform you of a situation that took place today at Parkside. At approximately 9:00
a.m. a phone call was received by our main switch board indicating a threat to the building. The
threat was not specific as to time or location. Based on this information, a building evacuation was
ordered. As the weather was still a bit rainy, students were directed one class at a time to move
with their teacher to the gym at Gossler Elementary School. Students arrived safely and were
seated in the gym. I was informed by representatives of the Gossler staff that your children were
well behaved.
The Manchester Police Department responded to Parkside as well as David Ryan, Assistant
Superintendent of Schools. A plan was established to search and clear the building. The State
Police responded with two canines. Teachers were released from Gossler to return to the building
to scan their classroom areas for any unusual objects. None were found. The two State Police
canines conducted a search of the entire building. At approximately 11:00 a.m. students and staff
were returned to the building. The goal upon return was to establish as normal a pattern as possible
for the remainder of the day. The day resumed with period D/E and lunch service begun. Periods
D/E, F/G and H/I were held and the day concluded with our planned Parkside PRIDE Event. At this
writing it is safe to assume the kids enjoyed the laser show. Please ask your child about it.
The Emergency Management Team met after school to debrief the event and plan for any needed
adjustments to our emergency response plans. You can be proud of the actions of the staff in
support of your children. We are pleased the movement of students went smoothly, however we
had a few classrooms we needed to move more quickly. The reports from our hosts at Gossler
about student behaviors were positive and this should come as no surprise to anyone. In the end,
there was no threat present in the building but we will always take the steps deemed necessary to
ensure the safety of our students. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us here at
Parkside.
On behalf of the Parkside Community and with Parkside PRIDE,
Forrest Ransdell
Principal, Middle School at Parkside
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