BRISTOL, Wis. — A significant law enforcement presence at Bristol Grade School last Wednesday morning left some parents concerned after six Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department squads were stationed around the campus before school, with no immediate communication sent to families.
According to a tip received by Kenosha County Eye, marked squads were positioned at multiple entry and exit points as students were arriving for the day. Parents dropping children off reportedly observed deputies at the doors and around the perimeter but said they were not initially informed about the reason for the increased police presence.
An email to families was sent at approximately 11:30 a.m., several hours after school had begun.
In the message, Bristol School Administration stated that before school hours, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department had been contacted by a family to report an online threat made by one student toward another student outside of school hours. The district said it is partnering with law enforcement to investigate the situation.
“At no time was there an indication of a school-wide threat,” administrators wrote, adding that deputies patrolled the campus “out of an abundance of caution.”
The email acknowledged the importance of communication but explained that specific details often cannot be shared due to confidentiality requirements intended to protect the privacy and safety of those involved. Administrators assured families that if there is ever an immediate or imminent concern, parents will be notified as soon as officials are aware of it.
School officials emphasized that student and staff safety remains the district’s top priority and highlighted ongoing collaboration with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement agencies. The message also stressed the seriousness of threats and the importance of students understanding the impact of their words.
While officials indicated there was no broader threat to the school community, several parents questioned why no notice was issued before school started, particularly given the visible police presence.
District Administrator Dr. Michele Schmidt encouraged families with questions to reach out directly to the district for additional information.
The investigation into the reported online threat remains ongoing.
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25 Responses
Bristol Grade School has a history of NOT INFORMING PARENTS until they are good and ready.
Many years ago one child brought a knife in, cut another student and the staff did nothing about it.
Didn’t call the cops until parents started finding out about it.
While the sheriff deputies here were responding appropriately the school itself was still not being transparent in a timely fashion.
It bothers me Greatly that schools seem to think they are “in charge” of everything that happens inside of there Four Walls independently.
They are not !! They are just trusted persons who we send our children to each day to learn things. And when things happen that are not part of their purview they need to let us know. Immediately !!
I won’t even speculate that not broadcasting the threat was part of any security plan to catch the culprit. Nobody intentionally can think that putting children in harms way or withholding information is a good thing.
If something might have happened and parents found out they could have kept their children home with advanced notice, well that’s something I’m glad didn’t happen.
Different people in charge then from the knife incident but the same warped thought process and mindset. That needs to change
In this case, the problem did not even occur on school grounds but through an online interaction. No school monitors online activity of kids when they are at home.
.. the school was BROUGHT INTO THE RESPONSE after the fact by the police. That alone should have been broadcast to the parents and community as to what was happening at the school building
The Kenosha Sherriff informed the school of what happened outside of school outside of school hours that day as they were arriving. I really like this site, but it is malpractice when all of the facts are not presented and leads to fear mongering.
The school isn’t forwarding that information.
The complaints here are on the school not informing the parents.
Police did nothing wrong.
It’s the Bristol school culture to hide things.
Agreed Sherrif did nothing wrong but as you can see in the message posted below it lays out the sequence of events and what was communicated to parents when the school knew, which was after the Sherrif arrived. Makes sense that full details are not released as the Sherrif is investigating and the school is cooperating with the investigation. I am sure everyone understands that you can only release so much information in an active investigation, right?
What was the issue?
The issue being raised was that the Bristol School was not communicating about an incident that occurred on the Feb. 11th but the facts say different. This story seems to be generated as pure click bait with out getting into the facts…like most media these days.
No I mean why the police, anyone know? I know Bristol communicated, I got an email at 11:30am that day
Two kids online outside of school. One threatens the other, the parent calls the Kenosha Sheriff, The Kenosha Sherriff arrive the next morning at the school in an abundance of caution because they got to Bristol. That forced the school to put out a communication for an investigation that was be conducted by the Kenosha Sheriff for something that did not occur at school now was aware of until the morning of the arrival of the Sheriffs. WTH
Bristol School sucks! The administration is horrible they don’t follow their own policies and make things up as they go.
Their hiring practices need to be reviewed. They constantly hire unqualified admins and teaching staff and have constant employee turnover.
I believe there is an open spot on the school board; step up and make a difference instead of complaining.
My child goes to Bristol School and I have not been informed about this. Good job Kenosha County Eye on prompt reporting.
This incident happened on February 11th, not today.
Come on now – the message was sent out that morning for an incident with children that did not happen in school. Kenosha Sherrif was there in an abundance of caution and not at the request of the school. Come on Kevin – dig deeper!
The message came out at 11:30. I think that’s fair clearly it was a non-emergency and the sheriff dept and school handled it
My children go to this school currently, and as of 1:43PM there has been zero communication from the school concerning this incident.
Check you SkyAlert – message went out –
Date: 02/11/2026 Subject: Police presence at Bristol School this morning Good morning Bristol Families, You may have noticed additional police presence this morning around our campus. Before school hours, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department was contacted by a family to report a threat made by an individual student to another student. The threat was an online threat made outside of school hours.The Bristol School District is partnering with law enforcement to investigate this situation. At no time was there an indication of a school-wide threat, but the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department determined that they would patrol our campus this morning out of an abundance of caution. Please note that if there is ever an immediate or imminent concern we will communicate with our families as soon as we are aware of the concern. While we understand the importance of communication, it is important to note that specific details regarding these circumstances are often confidential and may not be shared with the community, teachers, or students. This confidentiality is in place to ensure the privacy and safety of all individuals involved. Our goal is not to provide vague or ambiguous information but to give as much relevant information as the law allows and the situation warrants. Please be assured that we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness, as the safety of our students and staff is our utmost priority. Please know that we actively partner with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement agencies to help keep our school community safe. Through ongoing communication, collaboration, and proactive safety planning, we work together to respond quickly and effectively to any concerns that may arise. Lastly, it is important for children to understand the impact of their words and the seriousness with which they will be addressed. With your support, we are committed to educating students about the power of their language, ensuring they understand the seriousness with which such matters will be addressed, and emphasizing the importance of maintaining a respectful and safe environment for all. Should you have any concerns or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to the District Administrator, Dr. Michele Schmidt at [email protected] Thank You, Bristol School Administration
Not everyone uses Sky Alert…the school have parents emails & phone numbers. Lack of a phone call, email, or even text is horrible and inexcusable.
How do parents review grade reports and homework assignments and school lunch payments and all other administration type events that parents with kids that go to school have to deal with – oh yeah, Sky Alert or whatever system other school’s use. The point is that information was disseminated, if it was a “serious” enough event, I am relatively sure other means of communication would have been used, not only by the school but by the Kenosha Sherrif department. But let’s us judge what should have happen without knowing all of the facts. I would say to those with kids that attend any school, ensure you are plugged in to the school’s main means of communication, in this case Sky Alert.
The same alert sent in Skyward was also emailed to all parents that same day.
At 11:30am so within a couple hours. People always have something to complain about!!
It came out via email
Home school your kids or do whatever you need to put them in parochial school.