At approximately 9:30am Tuesday morning students at the Pleasantville Middle School reported to the School administration that a threatening note had been found in a restroom in the building.

After examining the note, school officials contacted the Pleasantville Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office immediately, and school officials worked with law enforcement to identify the person who wrote the note as well as its credibility.

As a precaution, all Pleasantville Schools increased the presence of law enforcement on campus. The individual who wrote the note was identified, and the threat was deemed not credible.

Superintendent Tony Aylsworth, Pleasantville Police Chief Joe Mrstik, and Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt stress that immediate and appropriate action was taken, and appropriate disciplinary measures are in the process.

Throughout the event local law enforcement and school authorities took every caution to ensure the safety of students and staff.

Superintendent Aylsworth sent the following e-mail to Pleasantville parents and staff Tuesday afternoon:

Parents & Staff,

As a follow up to the message that was sent at 11:30 am this morning I wanted to update you to let you know that the incident surrounding the note discovered at Pleasantville Middle School today has been resolved. At this time there is no threat of danger to Pleasantville Schools.

As was shared this morning, the student responsible for writing and placing the note has been caught. This was an isolated incident, with no other students or adults involved in the writing or placing of the note. No specific people or groups of people were identified in the note, and the consensus from law enforcement and the school administration is that this note was placed as a “copycat” to recent, similar messages at schools in the Des Moines area.

Throughout the course of the school day the presence of local and Marion County law enforcement has been reduced, with the goal of getting things back to normal at school ASAP. While we remain confident that this issue has been resolved, know that we will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

Respectfully,
Tony Aylsworth