“What we did was we placed the building on a hold, which is part of our standard response protocol, because we received an articulated threat confirmed to be sent by a student and that threat was directed towards the high school administrator,” Kuhn told the News-Sun.
During the hold, students and staff remained in the classroom and kept clear from the hallways to give administrators and the school resource officer time to investigate the email.
The hold was lifted once the sender of the email was identified and the school was determined to be safe, Kuhn said in the email.
A hold, which has the tagline “in your room or area, clear the halls,” is used when students and staff need to remain in the classroom so school officials and/or first responders can handle a situation, whether it’s a threatening email or a medical emergency in the building, Kuhn said.
A lockdown, which has the tagline, “locked, light, out of sight,” is when there’s a security concern in the building that requires immediate action and all must lock the doors, turn the lights out and get in spaces that are out of sight.
A student was arrested and the district will work with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate the incident.
“The school district will take appropriate action for any and all violations of the student code of conduct resulting from this incident,” Kuhn said in the email. “While this was unexpected, our MS/HS team followed procedures to ensure the safety of every student and staff member.”
Kuhn said student discipline ranges in general from lower level to high level, with the most severe of school discipline is suspension and expulsion.
According to a board policy that talks about imminent and severe endangerment, the superintendent can expel a student for up to 180 school days for actions that are determined to pose endangerment. The superintendent will then develop conditions the student must satisfy before they may be reinstated. If the student does not demonstrate sufficient rehabilitation to be reinstated, the superintendent can extend the expulsion.
Kuhn shared they always encourage students, staff and families that if they see something to say something.
“If something doesn’t feel right, look right, let a trusted adult know because that can make a difference when it comes to the safety of students and staff and in school operations,” he said.
“Clark-Shawnee Local and schools will always take threats seriously, and there will always be a measured response. A serious threat is going to result in serious consequences, whether it’s school discipline or legal consequences. In this time and day, you cannot say things and make threats like this and expect them to not be taken seriously.”
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