A local father is seeking action and accountability after his son received a death threat from a fellow student at a Blenheim elementary school.
Josh Huebschwerlen, a Blenheim resident and business owner, said his 13-year-old son was talking with school friends on a group chat app the evening of March 9, when another youth joined the conversation. Not long after, the new youth threatened to bring a knife to school to stab and kill Huebschwerlens’ son.
After viewing a recording of the interaction, Huebschwerlen said it appeared to be a direct and violent threat, and not just a minor dispute between children.
“When allegations like this come about, things need to be done. I’m not just looking out for the safety of my son, but everybody else’s son and daughter that’s at that school,” he said.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service was contacted about the incident the following morning, and officers attended Harwich Raleigh Public School to conduct an investigation. Police officials have confirmed their involvement but would not comment further due to “privacy considerations involving youth.” However, authorities added that no charges have been laid.
As a concerned father, Huebschwerlen said he and his wife later went to the school to speak with the principal to ensure that meaningful steps were being taken to protect his son and the other students.
“While in the principal’s office, she said to me that because of class sizes, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do to try to separate them,” said Huebschwerlen. “That’s kind of unacceptable. There should be a separation with that kind of threat going out.”
Despite his urging that action be taken to ensure student safety, Huebschwerlen said he and his wife were asked to leave the school.
“There were no grounds for me to be asked to leave the school because I was a concerned parent, making sure my child is safe in the presence of what [are] supposed to be caregivers at the school,” he said. “I told the principal that I would be contacting the school board when she kicked us out of her office.”
Huebschwerlen proceeded to contact the Lambton Kent District School Board, which is now conducting its own investigation into the incident.
“When concerns are raised involving student behaviour or potential threats, we follow all applicable board policies, procedures and legislative requirements,” said board spokesperson Caress Lee in an emailed response to CKXS News. “As this matter remains under investigation, the board is not able to comment further on the specific circumstances, individuals involved, or actions taken, out of respect for privacy and the integrity of the process.”
Afterwards, all of the students involved in the initial group chat where the threat was made were pulled from class and spoken to by school staff on March 12. Huebschwerlen said he was not made aware of this until his son informed him at the end of the school day. It was also learned that the same student who had threatened to bring a knife to school had now made another threat toward the youth who recorded the group chat.
Huebschwerlen returned to Harwich Raleigh Public School the following day to inform the principal of the new threat and ask that the situation be addressed before someone got hurt. However, when it appeared that no action would be taken, the conversation became heated, and the principal walked away.
According to Huebschwerlen, the student who allegedly made the reported threats continues to attend class unimpeded despite his behaviour. As well, Huebschwerlen has not been made aware of any meaningful actions being taken to protect the children who were threatened.
“My son came home to tell me that [the principal] had done nothing through the day. He was still stuck in the [same] class with the boy who threatened to kill him,” said Huebschwerlen.
Adding to his concerns about the situation, police officers attended Huebschwerlen’s home on March 14 to serve him a trespass order, barring him from attending his son’s school.
When asked why a parent would be trespassed from school property, the school board said a principal can refuse admission to anyone who, in their judgment, “could be detrimental to the physical or mental well‑being of students.”
“So [the principal] will allow a student who has gone and threatened to kill another student to be at the school, but me, as a concerned parent, am not allowed at the school,” said Huebschwerlen. “I’m not even allowed to pick up my child from school now if something serious happens. I can’t be on the grounds.”
Huebschwerlen, a former serviceman with the Canadian Armed Forces, said at no time did he yell or curse, and he does not believe he was acting in an aggressive manner that would warrant a trespass order.
“It’s pretty sad that I can go and serve my country and go protect the people of Canada, but I have a problem [protecting] my own kids in their school because the lady that’s supposed to be doing it, isn’t doing it,” he said.
Huebschwerlen said parents and the public deserve to know when credible threats of violence are reported and when those concerns appear to be ignored. He added that threats of violence should never be dismissed or minimized, especially in a school environment where students should feel safe and protected.
“If I knew about this and I didn’t say anything and something happened at the school, I would feel extremely horrible because it wasn’t brought into the limelight,” he said.
