By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Trussville city leaders and community members responded to a recent threat at Hewit-Trussville High School (HTHS). The Tribune reached out to all the council members, and their responses are listed below.
“I was notified last Wednesday afternoon of the incident as I was going out of town for a couple of days,” Trussville Mayor Buddy Choat said. “Chief Rush called me and told me what had taken place that day, and then I followed up with a conversation with him this morning to see if anything had changed. I am just trying to gather as much information as I can as quickly as we can. I plan to have a meeting with Dr. Neill and Mr. Salem.”
The city council expects to hear from parents on Tuesday night at the Trussville city council meeting at 6 p.m.
“I am aware of this and am taking it very seriously as the school liaison,” Council member Lisa Bright said. “We are gathering information from all involved, and the Mayor will make a statement. The Mayor and Council will be prepared for Tuesday night.”
Council members Perry Cook and Alan Taylor both said they are continuing to gather facts for a better understanding of the situation.
Council member Jaime Anderson did not respond for comment at the time of publication. Council member Ben Short provided an earlier statement that appears in the Tribune’s opinion section.
“It’s hard at this point to determine what is a rumor and what is not, but one fact remains the same in this situation. Our children have been put in danger because the school board was not willing to act in our kids’ best interest,” TCS parent Amber Jones stated. “The habit of sweeping things under the rug and withholding information from the police and parents has got to stop. These actions are putting all students in Trussville City Schools in danger. Communication and transparency is key to a successful school system, and it is vital to the safety of our children. I am very thankful that the Trussville Police Department has ignored the school board and has continued to provide extra protection for kids. Parents and citizens have to take a stand, this will not end until we have better leadership at the school board level. We have to make our frustrations known. The best way to support this cause is to be present in numbers and stand united in our concerns at the city council meeting tomorrow night. Our children deserve better. Patti Neill is violating their student rights as listed in the student code of conduct with her actions and lack there of.”
The Tribune also reached out to Trussville City Schools board members and none of the school board members responded to the request for comment.
Choat will hold a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 10:30 a.m., to address the recent situation regarding public safety at Trussville City Schools. It will take place in City Council chambers at the City Hall Annex, located at 113 North Chalkville Road in Trussville.
Related Story: HTHS student suspended for terroristic threats
The Trussville Police Department (TPD) was investigating a terroristic threat that was made on Friday, Sept. 16, when they were notified that, last school year, the same student had created a “death notebook” containing 37 names.
A parent source said that five students whose names were written in the book had specific methods of their death. The parent said that one of the methods was “shot by an AK-47.”
Rush said that the student responsible for the “death notebook” created it based on the show “Death Note,” where a character discovers a book that, if someone’s name is written in it while the writer imagines that person’s face, he or she will die.
The student has been reportedly suspended, according to the Rush. Concerned parents have informed The Tribune that the student was reportedly sent to alternative school for 20 days after a hearing was held with the school system on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Rush said TPD has notified all the parents of the students whose names were written in the book. The parents of the student responsible for the book were not notified when the original incident took place.
According to a memorandum of understanding passed by the Trussville City Council and Trussville City Schools in 2020, as soon as any incident that threatens school safety occurs on school property or occurs at a school-sponsored event, the SRO is to be notified as soon as is reasonably possible. The agreement further states that “TPD shall take the lead on all incidents in which a criminal charge or delinquent act is alleged to have occurred.”
Related Story: HTHS parents meet to discuss threat, plan to address Trussville City Council on Tuesday
On Sunday night, dozens of parents of Hewitt-Trussville High School students gathered at Trussville Southside Baptist Church to discuss an incident at the school involving the alleged terroristic threat and “death notebook.”
Trussville Police Chief Eric Rush met with the parents and provided a timeline of events, and answered questions from the group.
Rush told the parents that police were unaware of the notebook until they opened an investigation into verbal threats made during the current school year. He also said the parents of the suspended student had not been told about the notebook.
The meeting was organized by several parents and was not open to TCS administrators or the media. However, Tribune publisher Scott Buttram was permitted to attend the meeting as the parent of an HTHS student.
Buttram would only provide a broad description of the meeting, choosing to allow parents to contact the Tribune directly with their comments if they choose to do so.