An Update on Today's Events from OSSD

 

This afternoon, Ocean Springs High School received a phone call that threatened the campus. Administration immediately put the campus in shelter-in-place and notified OSSD Police, who then notified local authorities. Within minutes, law enforcement officers from multiple agencies began to arrive to ensure the campus was secure, and to sweep the building for potential security issues.

 

We are thankful to report that this threat was later determined to not be credible, and students and staff were not in danger at any point. We are also extremely thankful for the quick response of the many officers from various agencies who arrived on campus within minutes. Because of the level of response, the entire campus was able to be thoroughly searched and cleared.

 

In an emergency situation like today’s, the first and foremost priority of ALL of our employees is to ensure our students and campus are safe and secure. Once we can ensure that this has been achieved, then we will begin notifying parents and the community. We do our best to keep everyone in a timely manner, but our first priority will always be student and staff safety. 

 

There were many rumors spread during today’s events that were simply untrue and only slowed the process of clearing our campus for threats, thus delaying when we could reassure parents that their students were safe. We encourage everyone to wait for credible updates and verified information directly from the school district or local law enforcement before sharing information publicly. 

 

We thank you for your patience and understanding. Please remember that the safety of our students is our #1 priority, and this will always be first and foremost with everything we do.

 

For more information on how parents can expect to be communicated with during an emergency, visit the Emergency Communications page on our website.