No threat found at Ooltewah High after lockout

After an investigation Wednesday into a potential threat against Ooltewah High School, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office gave the school an all-clear and said no threat was found.

The school was put into “lockout” procedures Wednesday after a potential threat was made in a social media post, according to Hamilton County Schools spokesman Tim Hensley.

Lockout procedures are put in place when a threat to a student, staff member or school has been received, and the school needs to limit access to the building as a safety precaution, according to the school district. Students were kept inside school buildings and law enforcement was notified.

A student involved in the chat on social media contacted the school resource officer, and sheriff’s office school resource officers investigated.

It was determined there was no threat, according to the sheriff’s office.

About 27 school resource officers are present in 25 Hamilton County schools.

The number of resource officers was discussed at a recent school board meeting after months of talk about safety and security of schools across the district.

Now, only one in three schools in Hamilton County has a school resource officer. Most of the officers are assigned to the district’s high school and middle schools, per district leadership and law enforcement priorities.

During the 2017-18 school year, 31 resource officers were present in 29 schools. Superintendent Bryan Johnson had committed an additional $500,000 to the 2018-19 school year budget in hopes of adding seven officers.

“School safety is always at the core of what we have to focus on,” Johnson told the Times Free Press after the school board’s Aug. 16 meeting. “As the parents of students who are in school myself, you expect your child to come home safe. We will continue to refine our safety plans.”

Students were dismissed as normal from Ooltewah High School on Wednesday, and school resumed normally Thursday.

No further details about the investigation have been made available.