Washoe County School District Superintendent Traci Davis released a statement Thursday regarding Wednesday’s incident at Hug High School. A 14-year-old male student was reportedly threatening other students with a knife and was shot by a school police officer after failing to follow the officer’s verbal commands to put down the knife. The boy has been hospitalized.
Davis stated the following:
“The event that occurred at Procter Hug High School yesterday was heartbreaking for our Hug High family and community. As a parent, I understand the panic and fear felt by Hug parents.
This is a reminder of the value of life and the duty we have to protect the safety of our students and staff each and every day.
I would like to commend our community and our families at Hug High School for remaining calm and supportive of our children during this difficult time. I have always admired their commitment, love, and care for their children and school family, and the events of yesterday only deepened my admiration.
I also deeply appreciate the staff at Hug High School for their dedication to their students, and for their perseverance under such difficult circumstances.
As a District, our commitment to safety has never wavered. Our schools constantly practice, drill, improve, and refine our emergency procedures, and those practices prepared us well for yesterday’s events.
Every school has a safety plan that dictates clear roles for staff members. Every school has an emergency medical response team trained to react in a split-second. Yesterday at Hug High School, both of those plans worked flawlessly. And for that, we are all eternally grateful to everyone involved.
I would also like to thank our dedicated officers with the Washoe County School District Police Department who acted so quickly to protect the safety of our students. Had it not been for their quick action and professionalism, I truly believe that the outcome could have been much worse.
And I extend my heartfelt gratitude to emergency service teams throughout the county who responded to the situation within minutes. We applaud your work and dedication to keeping our students and community safe.
As a parent and an educator, I know how important it is that children be given ample opportunities to ask questions, talk about their reactions to the incident, and be reassured that they, their friends, and their families are safe.
The District has provided counselors and mental health services at Hug High School to help students, teachers, and staff cope with their feelings following yesterday’s events, along with extra staff members who have responded to the school to offer their support in a variety of roles.
I want to thank our community for their numerous offers of help for our school family, because we are truly one family. We feel embraced and supported by our community.
Today at Hug High School, our students, teachers, and staff are back in the classroom, teaching and learning, just as they do every day in their pursuit of excellence. They are resilient and they are moving forward with their educational mission. In fact, I can report that 100 percent of the staff showed up today.
I trust that you will give them the privacy and respect they deserve as they resume their studies in the wake of yesterday’s events. I can assure you that we are providing them with the support and help they need to accomplish their goals.
This concludes my statement. I know you will understand and respect the fact that I cannot offer further information or answer questions today, as the formal investigation is still underway.
We appreciate your time today.
Thank you.
