Earlier this week, there was a frightening incident at Great Bend High School. A student posted a threat to the school, its teachers and its students on a social media site.

The post was made Monday night. Teachers made GBHS Principal Tim Friess aware of the matter and he immediately contacted the Great Bend Police Department.

Officers took the student into protective custody before the start of classes that Tuesday morning. Although it was determined other students and the faculty were not at risk, security was augmented and GBPD officers were assigned to watch the school.

Classes went on as scheduled.

There are several lessons to be learned here.

First, Friess took swift action to deal with this chilling occurrence. In light of other mass school shootings, no threat can be taken lightly and GBHS responded appropriately to take the necessary precautions to protect the kids and adults.

Second, the GBPD must be commended for its actions. Officers took the matter seriously and intervened to protect not only those at GBHS, but the student who had made the threat.

Third, this was an example of how entities, in this case the school and the police, can work together. Such cooperation should be a model for other instances that arise.

And, lastly, both Unified School District 428 Superintendent Brand Reed and Great Bend Police Chief Cliff Couch issued statements first thing Tuesday morning. These not only outlined what had been done, but were also designed to assuage fears the public might have.

These statements establish confidence and trust between the entities and the people they serve.

This was a sad situation, but kudos to those who responded and kept the public informed.

Dale Hogg