CMS Defends Lack of Transparency After Closing Elementary School in South Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC – Neighbors and parents are questioning why CMS gave so few details about the threat that closed Sterling Elementary in South Charlotte on Tuesday.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a school closing down in the neighborhood and people don’t know what’s going on,” says South Charlotte resident William Lee.

Lee says rumors spread and neighbors were worried for their safety.

“Is it something that’s dangerous to us or what, you know? We don’t know,” Lee says.

It wasn’t until late in the day Tuesday that the district finally revealed the threat came from a fugitive from Michigan.

37-year-old Isaac Burch is accused of threatening to kill his ex-wife, who is a school employee.

Police arrested him late Monday at a hotel in CMPD’s North Division.

Burch had already made his first court appearance before the district explained what happened.

“Safety and security is always the most important thing for us. And so when we determined that there was a real threat we made the decision to close the school,” says CMS Superintendent Dr. Clayton Wilcox.

Wilcox defended the decision not to explain to the public why the school was closed.

“Well, there was a active police investigation. You can never compromise that kind of investigation. We did what we thought was right. We thought we were very open and transparent,” Wilcox says.

According to Wilcox, parents had been given some details about a threat last week, but many in the neighborhood say they had no idea what was going on and were worried when they saw police cars outside the school.

“There was one parked here and one up the street and they was here all day long,” Lee says.

District two school board representative Thelma Byers-Bailey says she didn’t know much about the threat either.

“We weren’t given an abundance of details but it was all for the betterment and safety of our children. And the staff,” Byers-Bailey says.