Dear Saint Ambrose Parents,
We are writing with a brief update regarding last week’s encounters involving an individual on campus and to address the concerns many of you have shared. We recognize this caused unease, and the safety of our students, staff, and families remains one of our highest priorities.
We also want to emphasize that Saint Ambrose is a unified community. We share the same goal of keeping our campus safe and supporting one another. Your voices matter, and we are here to support our parents, children, and staff as we move forward together.
With additional court information now available, we can share that the individual involved has been released from custody and has not been determined by law enforcement to be a direct threat to the Saint Ambrose Catholic Community. Over the past year, he had contact with Father Peter and shared unusual grievances unrelated to the Saint Ambrose Catholic Community. Those interactions were documented and appropriately reported using a behavioral assessment approach. No direct threats were made toward Father Peter. Due to encounters outside of our Saint Ambrose community and having documentation of this individual’s encounters with Father Peter, Woodbury Police increased their presence on campus. When the individual later came to campus, he was formally trespassed because of his behavior, not a specific threat.
Precautionary measures remain in place as part of our layered safety approach. School will continue under normal security procedures, and school Mass will continue with doors locking at 9:30 am. A security team will be present on campus as well.
For safety reasons, we cannot share specific details about all security measures. This discretion is part of maintaining an effective security plan. There is no such thing as perfect security, but we are committed to continual improvement alongside our security partners, law enforcement and you, the Saint Ambrose Catholic Community.
Thank you for your continued support, vigilance, and unity in caring for our community.
Sincerely,
The Saint Ambrose Leadership
Father Peter Williams, Pastor
Betsy Osterhaus-Hand, Principal
Leslie Heise and Sara Skogsberg, Early Childhood Directors
Matt Lasure, Business Administrator
Mike Olson, 360 Security Services