December 16, 2021

Good Morning Whitehall Community,

Last evening, administrative staff was notified of a comment that had been made by a student in a classroom that was perceived as "threatening". Administrative staff immediately involved our School Resource Officer (SRO) and began interviewing individuals.

Early this morning, we involved investigators from the Washington County Sheriff's department to assist in the investigation to determine what was said and if there was a credible threat. We were able to determine with assistance and agreement from the Sheriff's office that there was no threat made. It was determined that the student made a benign comment when speaking with a teacher that was taken out of context by some students who were present. Unfortunately, throughout the evening, Social Media morphed an otherwise innocuous comment into something that has resulted in a great deal of unnecessary concern for students and parents.

I want to reiterate that we most sincerely appreciate the individuals who immediately came forward and shared their concerns with the school. This enabled us to engage our safety protocols and initiate an investigation into the matter. As always, safety is and will continue to be our first priority and we continue to ask that if you or your child see or hear something that is concerning, PLEASE reach out to the school. In the meantime, the Sheriff's office will continue to partner with the school district in matters involving student safety and we appreciate this partnership.

Sincerely,

Patrick Dee
Superintendent of Schools

Click here