News and events - Sept. 20, 2024

The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. This past week, we have experienced a significant amount of rumors circulating amongst students, and received numerous reports from students and some parents regarding threats to school safety. Please know that we take all such reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly in collaboration with local law enforcement. After a rigorous investigation, we found no credible or verifiable threats to the safety or security of our students or staff.

Our priority is to address any concerns at the least intrusive level, allowing our students to focus on learning without unnecessary distractions. However, persistent rumors led me to address the entire school during Thursday morning's advisory period, you can view the video below. I’m happy to report that since then, the rumors have stopped, and students are once again fully engaged in their learning and positive interactions with others.

We encourage open communication, and if students hear or see anything of concern, we ask them to speak with an adult at school or home. Parents, we also encourage you to ask clarifying questions when your child shares information: How did they learn this? Did they witness it personally? Clarification is key, as sometimes the information shared may not be accurate. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s assistant principal or me directly.

If you ever have information that you believe is a credible threat to the safety of our school, we strongly urge you to contact the police immediately and file a report. Waiting overnight or over the weekend to inform school officials is not advisable. It’s far better to involve law enforcement right away to begin an investigation without delay. We have a strong partnership with the Champlin Police Department, and they communicate directly with us to help ensure an appropriate response before the start of the school day. Your prompt action can make a difference in maintaining the safety of our entire school community.

Student safety is always our top priority, and we will continue to investigate any reports to ensure the well-being of our school community. As an additional resource to families, here is a link on having a conversation with your student regarding school safety concerns.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Joel Young, Principal

Does your student want to see our Nation's Capital in style? Sign up for the June 2025 Washington, D.C. Trip. This once in a lifetime opportunity to visit our nation's capital and see all the sites in a safe, organized and fun way. The fee for the trip covers: travel by air, bus, tour guides, food, hotel, nighttime security, a dinner cruise, and chaperones. Besides seeing the sites of Washington D.C., we will also be visiting Mount Vernon (George Washington’s Home) and The Battle Field of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Click on the World Stides button below, or register by phone, 1-800-468-5899. Us the Trip ID #217595. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Morgan.

For the health and cleanliness of the building, only water is allowed in the hallways at Jackson Middle School. All food must be stored in a closed container or bag and stored in lockers at all times before and after lunch. All food and beverages must be consumed in the cafeteria.

Student food deliveries to the school from restaurants, DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. are not permitted

and will be turned away and not delivered.

Parents/guardians are not to drop off food from local restaurants, or snacks/birthday treats for

their students to share with their friends on birthdays or other special occasions. Celebrations are

fun, but they create significant distractions and supervision issues in the cafeteria/classroom and

are therefore not allowed. Please keep those important celebrations at home.

Due to space limitations in our cafeterias, parents/guardians wishing to eat lunch with their

student, will be provided an alternate location to eat lunch together.

Yearbooks for the 2024-2025 school year are now on sale. Prices will increase on December 1 so take advantage of the reduced prices and buy soon.

Books were in high demand last year and sold out quickly, so make sure you reserve yours now!

You can order your yearbook online here.

For years, Anoka-Hennepin Schools has published Backpack Online as a subscription based electronic newsletter. As the 2024-25 school year begins, that publication has transitioned from a weekly to a monthly e-newsletter that will be sent to all parents and guardians of Anoka-Hennepin students and subscribers.

The e-newsletter has also been re-branded from Backpack Online to FOCUS on Anoka-Hennepin Schools. The e-newsletter will be sent on the first Wednesday of each month (except for holidays) and provide an outlook on news, events and district publications to your email inbox. It will not be sent via text message.

The newsletter will keep parents/guardians and community members informed of the latest events affecting Anoka-Hennepin Schools, students and communities.

Important details for families

Parents and guardians do not need to subscribe to receive the e-newsletter if they have elected to receive emails from the district and school(s) their children attend. If families unsubscribe from receiving this e-newsletter, they may no longer receive important emails from the district or their child’s school. Learn more about communication and notifications and how to choose your preferred communication methods with AHlert.

Neighbors and community members

Anyone can subscribe or view archived versions of the e-newsletter by visiting ahschools.us/focusenews.

Technology plays an important role in preparing students for life, and Chromebooks are utilized as a daily learning tool in Anoka-Hennepin middle and high school classrooms. Anoka-Hennepin students in grades 6-12 are assigned a Chromebook from the school district to ensure access to technology systems that support classroom learning.

Over 28,000 Chromebooks are distributed to students the first week of school. As careful as students and schools are, accidents do happen each year - and thousands of Chromebooks are returned at the end of the school year with damages.

Families have the option to enroll in the Device Protection Plan.

The Technology Protection Plan is optional; it is not required, however, by electing not to participate in the Protection Plan, families may be required to reimburse the school district for the replacement or repair of damaged Chromebooks assigned to their student/s. Damaged or broken screens may cost between $50 to $150 depending on parts needed; or the replacement cost for the entire device could be up to $410.

Families can opt-in to the Device Protection Plan by logging into A-HConnect, and selecting "My Student Information," and "Fees." Parents must select or decline coverage under the Device Protection Plan. Enrollment begins July 1, 2024.

• The plan cost is $20 per student or $60 per family per school year.

• If the student qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals in the 2024-25 school year, the cost of the Protection Plan will be reduced to $0.

• Repairs with the Protection Plan are subject to a $20 deductible.

View the Device Protection Plan flyer to learn more. (PDF)

Enroll in the device protection plan using Synergy.