Local law enforcement guided traffic as buses carrying Amelia High School and Middle School students and staff evacuated on Sept. 14, 2016, after a violent threat was sent to the district.
Local law enforcement guided traffic as buses carrying Amelia High School and Middle School students and staff evacuated on Sept. 14, 2016, after a violent threat was sent to the district.

By Kelly Cantwell
Editor

 

The West Clermont Local School District received numerous threats on Sept. 14, leading to lockdowns, delays and building evacuations.

The first threat came in between 7 and 7:15 a.m. to an Ohio-based website. The Ohio State Highway Patrol notified the Union Township Police Department of the threat, which was a vague statement that there would be violence at West Clermont Schools between 7 and 7:30 a.m., said Union Township Police Lt. Tony Rees.

Since the threat did not name a specific school, the department put Glen Este High School and Middle School on lockdown and sent officers to the grade schools in their jurisdiction. Officers reached two grade schools in enough time to put them on a delay.

Nothing happened, and the schools were taken off lockdown, Rees said.

Around 10:30 a.m. the same day, a threat came into the West Clermont Board of Education website that named Amelia High School. In conjunction with the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, the departments decided to evacuate Amelia High School and Middle School, Rees said.

Law enforcement did a full security sweep of Amelia High School and Middle School and did not find anything, according to a press release.

Students, except for those who could drive, were transported to the First Baptist Church of Glen Este, where parents could pick them up. Staff was also transported to the church. The students who were not picked up rode their bus home at the normal time, said Scott Spicher, district communications coordinator.

“Traffic was pretty heavy around the area,” Spicher said, but added that many parents were understanding about the wait and were appreciative the district evacuated their children.

After the threat against Amelia, the district received numerous other threats of violence, which police are investigating. Most of the threats, which Rees described as “goofy, random threats of violence,” came in by email, except for one.

Two Glen Este female students have been charged after allegedly leaving a threatening note in a bathroom at the school saying there would be violence. The students are not responsible for the original threat, Rees said.

The department does have a good idea where the email threats came from, but investigators are still looking into it.

All things considered, especially having to evacuate about 2,000 students, Spicher believes the measures were successful. Students and staff were safe at all times.

“We feel like it went very well,” Spicher said.

He expressed his gratitude to First Baptist Church of Glen Este for all their support.

“Our utmost top priority was the safety of our students and our staff,” Spicher said.

School operated normally on Sept. 15, although additional security was at all district buildings, according to a press release.