Dear CH-UH Staff & Families,

I’m writing to provide you with additional updates regarding the incident that occurred at Heights High School yesterday, August 30 after school. First and foremost, I want to express how grateful I am that no one was hurt and that the situation was resolved peacefully. I was impressed with (but not at all surprised by) the cooperation and professionalism of all involved, the maturity of our students, and patience of our families.

New Information
The individual who entered the building has been identified by Cleveland Heights Police as a current Heights High School student. The student told police that they were being followed by other students outside of the school and that was why they entered the building. Our investigation revealed that the student entered the building through Door 7 as another student was exiting. The investigation also determined that the intruding student was in the building for less than two minutes.

There is no evidence at this time that the student had a weapon, and police believe the student did not have one. However, the student is currently on emergency removal and we will apply the Student Code of Conduct (SCOC) regarding discipline. The SCOC process will also be applied to the other student who opened the door and CHUH students who followed the student will be placed on emergency removal as well to ascertain their level of involvement in this incident.

School will resume as normal tomorrow, September 1. The CHPD has indicated that it is safe for us to do so. School social workers and guidance counselors will be available to speak with students and staff as needed. I have also requested that CHPD pay special attention to the area through the end of next week.

Next Steps
The District is currently addressing the incident through the lens of our student code of conduct and debriefing with CHPD. We are also reviewing our current security monitor coverage at Heights High. All security staff were present and engaged during the time of the incident, but specific placement adjustments will be made for Doors 7 and 8. We will also continue the process of hiring additional security staff, which began this summer. We will share additional next steps in a subsequent communication.

We look forward to seeing our HHS students and staff back at school tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Superintendent Liz Kirby