Manhattan Parent Makes Emotional Plea for More Transparent School Threat Policies

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | November 12, 2025

Article Summary:
A Manhattan School District 114 parent emotionally addressed the Board of Education, describing a threat made against her third-grade son and calling for greater transparency and strength in the district’s threat assessment and safety procedures.

School Safety Policy Key Points:

• A parent, Mandy Sefcik, said another student told her eight-year-old son he “wanted a gun to his head and he wanted him to die.”

• Sefcik expressed frustration with the lack of access to district policies and the results of the school’s threat assessment, which deemed the threat “transient.”

• She praised the compassion and professionalism of the staff at Anna McDonald Elementary School but urged the board to make safety procedures stronger and more accessible to families.

• The parent asked the board to act now to prevent a future tragedy, stating, “We can’t wait until something terrible happens to say we should have done more.”

MANHATTAN – A parent made an emotional plea to the Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education on Tuesday, November 12, 2025, asking for stronger and more transparent safety policies after her eight-year-old son was threatened by another student.

Mandy Sefcik, a parent of a third grader at Anna McDonald Elementary School, told the board that last week another student told her son he “wanted a gun to his head and he wanted him to die.”

“Hearing those words that another child said to your eight-year-old is absolutely heartbreaking,” Sefcik said, fighting back tears. “As a parent, you send your child to school trusting they are safe, they are cared for, and that they are protected. And then suddenly that trust is shaken in a way that’s hard to describe.”

Sefcik clarified her frustration was not with the school’s staff, specifically praising Principal Mrs. Kirk for being “compassionate, professional, and thorough.” However, she said her concern lies with the district’s process and the lack of clarity surrounding it.

“I’ve been told that the school forwarded the current policies and procedures, but those policies have never been supplied to me,” she stated. “I was told the threat assessment was completed and deemed transient. Yet, I could not be given a copy of the questions asked to determine so.”

She noted her search of the district’s website for detailed policies beyond the general handbook was unsuccessful, calling the situation “incredibly unsettling.”

Sefcik emphasized that families deserve to know what steps are being taken and what safeguards are in place when serious threats occur. Citing the case of a Virginia teacher shot by a six-year-old student, she warned that tragedy can happen anywhere, even in a safe community like Manhattan.

“I’m not standing here tonight to place blame,” Sefcik concluded. “I’m standing here because I love my son and I never want another parent to have to go through that phone call like I received… The time to strengthen our policies and protect our children is now.”

The board listened intently but, per its policy, did not respond directly to the public comment during the meeting.