Superintendent Message

September 20, 2024

Hello WCPS Families,

Ensuring the safety of our students and staff has always been the top priority of WCPS and safety will always remain at the forefront of our daily decisions. I want to take another moment to address the recent surge of online messages that have led to lockdowns and lockouts in Warren County Public Schools (WCPS), as well as those across the state and the nation. Please know that if law enforcement or I believed the safety of our students or staff was compromised, school would be closed.  We will continue to thoroughly investigate any and all rumors as we work to maintain the trust of our community that we have collectively worked so hard to develop. 

Due to the large volume of potential threat reports (most originating from outside of our community), multiple law enforcement agencies have been actively investigating every threat report with school and district officials, all of which have been deemed rumors or an attempt to promote fear and disruption. I am pleased to share that law enforcement agencies have made significant progress in holding individuals accountable for promoting this fear and creating disruptions in our schools. The Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) made an arrest in connection to a threatening social media post on Monday and a second individual is facing serious charges since the rumors began circulating Friday, September 13, 2024. In a statement, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) made it clear to the general public that anyone posting threatening messages will be thoroughly investigated and WCSO will seek full prosecution. We are fortunate to have a strong, collaborative relationship with our Sheriff’s department and I encourage you to join me in thanking Sheriff Brett Hightower and Deputy Steve Chappell, our Director of School Safety, and all of our remarkable school resource officers for their dedication and thoroughness. 

For those of you in attendance at our safety forum, thank you so much for the outpouring of support. It was a valuable opportunity for community members and stakeholders to become more engaged in our current safety efforts while also voicing opinions and concerns. Our staff will collect the feedback and it will be directly shared with our district safety committee and fellow Board members. You may also provide feedback by clicking this link. This link will take you to the recording of the forum. 

Lastly, our Board and staff members fully appreciate and recognize how these situations promote fear, uncertainty and significantly disrupt school-level operations and our daily lives. Please know our school staff are always available to partner with you as we guide our students through these uncomfortable situations. Thank you for entrusting us to educate your children and to keep them safe. 

Respectfully,

Rob Clayton

Superintendent