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PHILIPPI - School officials said an "isolated behavioral issue" with one student led to police officers being present at Philip Barbour High School Monday, but added that no one was hurt, classes were not closed and no students were sent home from school.
“We had a student who had an issue in the classroom and it was dealt with in that classroom,” Barbour County Superintendent Eddie Vincent told The Inter-Mountain Monday afternoon. “The student had some behavioral issues and it was taken care of.
"We did a really good job of taking care of it quickly, and a notice was sent out to all of the parents, because any time you have the fire department, EMTs, or police at the school, people start asking questions. It was an isolated behavioral issue, and there were no threats, no weapons or anything like that.”
At about 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement:
“We want to take a moment to update parents and our community about an incident that occurred today at Philip Barbour High School,” the statement reads. “A student experienced a behavioral episode that became violent. Our Prevention Resource Officer and school administration responded immediately and were able to quickly contain the situation.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of everyone in the building, additional law enforcement officers and EMS were called to assist. As a precaution, the school was placed on a hold while the situation was safely resolved. Once everything was under control and it was determined that the school was safe, the hold was lifted.
“We are also happy to report that although our PRO sustained a minor injury while responding to the incident, he was evaluated by EMS and cleared medically,” according to the statement.
“We understand that hearing about an incident at your child’s school can be concerning. Please know that the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. Our PRO, school administrators, teachers, and responding officers acted quickly and worked together to ensure the situation was handled safely and professionally.
We are proud of the teamwork and preparedness demonstrated today by everyone involved. We also appreciate the patience, understanding, and continued support of our parents and community.”
Earlier on Monday afternoon, Philip Barbour High School sent a message to the parents of PBHS students.
"Philip Barbour Families: There was a small incident at school this afternoon," the message reads. "ALL students are safe.
"This was an individual student incident. The student’s parent has been notified.
"Again, all were safe and no other students were in danger," the message stated. "We thank you for your understanding."