Full Notification

Setting the record straight:  On Tuesday, February 20, 2018,  there was no credible threat to anyone at Sheboygan South High School!  What did occur was that a student at South High School refused to check in with a school staff member when entering the commons area as required by school policy.  The staff member called for assistance and eight members of the school security team responded to the commons area to help locate the student.
Students present in the commons saw the response and rumors began to spread within the school that staff was responding to an intruder in the school. Additionally, at least one student made a post to social media indicating a threat.  The school security team responded to the false rumors by meeting with students to stop the spread of this false information, remove the post from social media and  stop the spread of fear within the school.
Later in the evening of February 20, 2018,  a local blogger who purports to be a media organization began to circulate unverified information on his website and social media accounts. His website posting included a screen shot of a Facebook post that had been removed hours earlier in response to the schools’ efforts to stop the false rumors.  His postings also included the use of the Sheboygan Police Department patch to try and lend credibility or authenticity to the information.  The Information he posted and shared was not verified in any way as true or accurate and could have been found to be completely false with very little effort.  His actions are irresponsible and demonstrate a complete  lack of judgment and any sense of professional ethics or common sense .  His actions created unnecessary fear within the Sheboygan and South High Communities!
I will not tell anyone in the greater Sheboygan Community where to get your news as that clearly is a personal choice. I do however caution everyone to understand that “having a website and Facebook page does not make you a journalist!”  False Information that is spread without being verified as accurate or factual is dangerous, creates fear and damages communities.
Individuals and businesses should carefully consider how they are supporting and encouraging this activity and whether it is in their best interest or the community’s best interest to support these activities and tie themselves or organization to this brand?
The Sheboygan Area School District and South High School in particular have worked collaboratively to adopt and implement school safety and response procedures including the A.L.I.C.E. plan within the school. The staff is extremely professional and has my full confidence. 
In response to the fear raised in the community by the actions of MYSheboygan, Incident Response and Wisc. Public Safety, the Sheboygan Police Department contacted Asher Heimermann and asked him to remove the false information. The Police Department sent out social media notifications to inform the community that the information was false. The South High School Administration made telephone notification to the school community and slightly modified procedures for entering the school this morning to better control the access points and reduce fear.
The Sheboygan Police Department will continue to work with and support the Sheboygan Area School District to ensure that all of our students have as safe a school environment as possible.