CMS apologized for slow messages on shooting threat. Here’s what it wants to do different

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told The Charlotte Observer it’s “enhancing” communication protocols after apologizing last week for its delay in notifying parents about a man’s alleged shooting threats.

The district said in a statement to the Observer that communication to parents about recent shooting threats was delayed due to “internal miscommunication and misunderstandings.” The district is streamlining its communication protocols for all principals as part of its response to the incident, according to CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill. CMS otherwise hasn’t share specifics about what it’d do differently.

The statement came days after CMS posted a video to Youtube Feb. 24 in which Hill apologized for the lapse in communication. She said district leadership held a meeting that day to discuss the communication issue and make improvements.

In response to Observer questions about what CMS should have done differently, CMS said:

“Between February 16 and 18, we received threats targeting various schools. As per our normal process, we worked closely with law enforcement and actively monitored the situation. Due to internal miscommunication and misunderstandings, family communication was delayed. While communication was delayed, there was not a lapse in any of our safety protocols. Safety protocols were followed explicitly. Our communications and safety teams are enhancing communication protocols.”

The threats

Last week, a man identified as 31-year-old Drew Owens allegedly made violent threats to five CMS campuses: West Charlotte High School, Ardrey Kell High School, Community House Middle School, Hawk Ridge Elementary School and Garinger High School. Owens was arrested Wednesday and is currently being held on a $200,000 bond.

Principals at each of the five schools sent messages to parents on the evening of Feb. 20, notifying them of the threat. Each message, obtained by The Charlotte Observer via a records request, used nearly identical language.

“We are aware that our school was one of several receiving a threat and took appropriate precautions to ensure students and staff remained safe,” they each read. “We continue to cooperate with law enforcement and follow their guidance on what information we can share.”

The district says all of its safety protocols were followed “to a tee,” but Hill’s video apologized that parents were not notified promptly. Many parents said they did not become aware of the threats until reports hit the news, the Observer’s news partner WSOC-TV reported.

“We commit to doing better,” Hill said in her apology. “As both a mother and an educator, I fully understand our children are our hearts. I want to ensure that every parent feels confident about sending their children to our school.”

Hill also said the district was outlining the necessary improvements to its communication processes.

What will CMS do differently

Part of the communication problem stemmed from CMS not wanting to release any information that could hamper or interfere with an ongoing investigation by law enforcement, Hill said in an interview with WSOC-TV.

“You’re trying to figure out what you could say, what you couldn’t say, what might impede the investigation,” Hill said. “So it was that type of misfiring.”

The district is working on streamlining its communication protocols for principals across all 186 CMS campuses in response to the incident, Hill said in the interview.

“To allow 186 principals to have to make that decision (about what to communicate to parents), that’s a really heavy burden on them,” she said. “We will definitely work with them based on varying factors... but as a general rule, we need to get very tight in terms of when we message for all 186 schools and not leaving it up to the principals to have to make that decision.”

Hill assured that it is district protocol to work with law enforcement immediately when a threat is received.

When it comes to the “internal miscommunication and misunderstandings” that CMS said caused the incident, the district did not elaborate further.

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Rebecca Noel

The Charlotte Observer

Rebecca Noel reports on education for The Charlotte Observer. She’s a native of Houston, Texas, and graduated from Rice University. She later received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading, running and frequenting coffee shops around Charlotte.