Notice of threat delayed

LINDSAY — A middle school principal’s failure to promptly notify parents or police about a hit list was “just an oversight,” his boss said Tuesday.

Lindsay Public Schools Superintendent Dan Chapman said it is common practice for the 1,250-student district to contact parents “whenever we have any kind of disciplinary problems.”

But after two girls got caught last month with lists of people they wanted to hurt or kill, Principal Tommy Ferguson waited more than three weeks to contact the parents of targeted students, Chapman said.

“He contacted them the Monday after Christmas break,” he told The Oklahoman. “That would have been approximately 25-26 days from the time the incident occurred.

“It was just an oversight by our principal. It did happen, but it was late.”

City Manager Stephen Mills, Lindsay’s former police chief, said schools are required by state statute to notify law enforcement anytime there is a threat.

Chapman, however, said the principal still has the discretion to determine whether police need to be notified. He added that the district is working closely with police.

“That’s the way the law reads,” he said. “It wasn’t quite as extreme as it’s been made out to be. It’s two little girls, 11 years old.”

Chapman said the two girls were disciplined. He declined to say whether Ferguson has been disciplined.

Chapman said the district needs to do a better job of educating students about “the use of their words or how harmful it can be if they write something bad.”

“We’re purchasing new curriculum to further educate our students,” he said. “We talked (at Monday night’s school board meeting) about being proactive and all of the different actions we’re going to take to keep something like this from happening again.”