FHSD Soft Lockdown Information (August 29, 2023)
The soft lockdown ended at 2:35 p.m. on August 29, 2023.
This page contains all updates shared by Forest Hills School District regarding the soft lockdown. The most recent messages have been added to the top of the page.
The following update was emailed to FHSD families and staff members at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 14, 2023.
Forest Hills Families,
The top priority at Forest Hills School District is ensuring the safety and security of all students, staff and visitors at each and every building. We understand that learning can only take place when students and staff feel safe and can truly engage in the educational process. As you know, FHSD initiated a soft lockdown at multiple schools on August 29, 2023 as a precautionary measure after an unknown individual was found on the Anderson High School campus. As with any situation involving the security of our buildings, we have to be careful about what information we share and when. The school district has been working with our dedicated School Resource Officers and valuable partners at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to fully investigate this situation, and I am now able to provide some additional information to staff and families.
On August 29 at approximately 11:55 a.m. an unknown individual was present on the Anderson High School campus. That individual entered the school through a door to a maintenance room that was propped open by an outside contractor. Shortly after, an Anderson High School staff member approached the individual and immediately removed him from the building. At no point in time did this individual interact with any students.
FHSD has addressed the situation with the outside contractor in this case and has increased security measures for all third-party workers moving forward. Based on the district’s review of available surveillance video, the individual never appeared to act in a threatening or aggressive manner. We don’t know for sure, but it appears it may have been someone who was lost.
That being said, this was an extremely serious situation and our administrative team at Anderson High School responded quickly to ensure all students were safe and confirm there was no ongoing threat to students or staff. Building administrators contacted the School Resource Officers, who then brought in support from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the response to this situation. During that process, and in coordination with law enforcement, we made the decision to initiate a soft lockdown at Anderson High School and nearby district buildings. Later in the response, when it was safe to do so, this information was shared with families. The district sent an email notification at approximately 2:04 p.m. We were advised by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that we could lift the soft lockdown shortly after and that message was distributed at approximately 2:35 p.m.
After removing the individual from Anderson High School, our response was focused on investigating the situation and working with law enforcement to ensure the safety of every individual inside that building. I acknowledge that it took some time to provide information to families, but please know that we did not hesitate to act in the best interest of our students and staff.
The district has carefully reviewed its response to this situation, as it does anytime there is a safety concern, and we will continue to have conversations about how we can improve the way we handle these incidents. First and foremost, we have reinforced our safety expectations with all outside contractors who have been on district property since the event and that will continue to be a focus of our preemptive measures to enhance the security of our buildings. While our staff and administrators immediately stepped into action and did everything in their power to provide a safe and secure environment to students after becoming aware of the intruder, we acknowledge that we could have communicated our decisions more quickly to the community and staff to make you aware of what happened.
I hope you understand that everything we do as a school district keeps in mind the safety and security of our students and staff. Part of our responsibility is to communicate information about situations like this, when it becomes appropriate to do so, so we can all have a better understanding of the district’s response and our commitment to safety. Additionally, Forest Hills School District added a second School Resource Officer at the start of this year and recently completed upgrades to all school entrances to improve our physical security. We are committed to providing the safest possible environment in all of our schools.
Sincerely,
Larry R. Hook
Superintendent
The following update was emailed to FHSD families and staff members at approximately 2:35 p.m. on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
Forest Hills Families,
The soft lockdown is now over at the impacted buildings across our school district. After consulting with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, we have made the decision to end the soft lockdown and proceed with the remainder of the school day as normal. After a thorough search of the area, it has been determined that the unknown individual is no longer on district property.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will conduct rotating patrols throughout the district during dismissal as an added safety precaution. Forest Hills School District is grateful for the efforts of our valuable law enforcement partners to respond to this situation quickly and help us ensure we provide a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff.
As a reminder, the following schools were under a brief soft lockdown: Anderson High School, Nagel Middle School, Ayer Elementary, Maddux Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Summit Elementary and Wilson Elementary.
Our staff and administrators are trained to have age appropriate discussions with students about situations like this. I am providing as much detail as I can to help our families better understand the situation and have the necessary context for conversations of their own. Please know that our top priority at all times is the safety of our school community.
After school activities will also proceed as previously scheduled.
Sincerely,
Larry R. Hook
The following message was emailed to FHSD staff and families at 2:04 p.m. on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.
Hello Forest Hills Families,
This message is to inform you that multiple district buildings are currently under a soft lockdown. The schools that are under a soft lockdown are Anderson High School, Nagel Middle School, Ayer Elementary, Maddux Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Summit Elementary and Wilson Elementary.
This means that students and staff will proceed as normal inside the buildings and learning will continue, but no school activities will take place outdoors until after the lockdown is lifted. In addition, school staff double check all exterior doors to be sure they are closed and locked and classroom doors will be locked as well.
The decision was made as an added precaution after we located an unauthorized individual walking around the Anderson High School campus a short while ago. We are currently working with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to respond to the situation and we will provide an update when the soft lockdown is lifted.
In FHSD, the safety and well-being of students and staff is our top priority. The district works to provide a safe and nurturing educational environment for all students so they can focus on being fully engaged in their schools. Part of that process is sharing messages like this to keep our community informed.
Sincerely,
Larry R. Hook
Superintendent
