Thursday morning, the Washington Community School District was placed on a “hold” following a report of a potential threat.  

In a statement released by the district, Superintendent Willie Stone stated that a report came in that a student might try to bring a weapon to school. The local police department was contacted immediately, and in collaboration with the district, conducted a thorough investigation. The investigation found the threat to be unfounded. 

The hold for the district was lifted around 11:30 a.m., and normal school operations resumed for the day. Stone stated that “We understand that these situations can be stressful, but we are incredibly proud of how professionally our staff handled the protocol and how calmly our students responded.” 

The release also noted that Stewart Elementary did not execute the hold due to a communication malfunction, which the district will be rectifying. 

Stone noted the importance of if you see or hear something, say something. Even the district would much rather investigate a situation, that is determined after investigation, to be unfounded than not address a potential risk.