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JOHNSTON, Iowa — Johnston Community School District superintendent Dr. Corey Lunn has confirmed all Johnston schools will be closed on Tuesday, October 3rd after students and parents received anonymous messages “threatening the safety and security” of students.

Dr. Lunn emailed a statement to parents and staff on Monday night. The full message can be seen below:

“A message from JOHNSTON CMTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Good evening, Johnston Parents and Staff,

Tonight, individual students and parents within our school district received anonymous messages, threatening the safety and security of our students. These messages started arriving around 8 p.m. and have continued throughout the night. In an effort of caution, we will be canceling school for all students and district staff tomorrow, Tuesday, October 3. All district buildings will be closed and there is no KTC program.

School district officials are working closely with the Johnston Police Department to track down the validity of the message and its source.

We understand this may inconvenience parents and caretakers and we regret sending this message at a late hour. However, the safety of our students and staff is the foremost reasoning behind this action.

As we receive information from the Johnston Police Department, we will keep you updated. If you have information related to these threats, please contact the Johnston Police Department at 515-278-2345.

This has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make; please know I take the safety of all our students and staff seriously and feel this is the best choice for our district and school community.

Thank you,

Dr. Corey Lunn

JCSD Superintendent of Schools”

A message about the situation can also be found on the Johnston Community School District’s Facebook page.