CALENDAR CHANGES DUE TO WEATHER: At the ACPS School Board Budget Work session on February 20, 2025, several members of the Board expressed concerns about the loss of seat time/ instructional time, especially for 2nd semester, due to our inclement weather days in January and February. Therefore, they approved a motion to add back instructional time with the follow revisions to the 2024-2025 ACPS Calendar:
April 7, 2025 will now be a REGULAR school day instead of the scheduled Teacher Workday/School Professional Development Day. Additionally, April 18, 2025 will now be a FULL school day instead of a 1:00 early dismissal.
A message regarding the Wilson complex:
Earlier today, a message circulated on social media and Spot a Cop, falsely claiming that an individual named Zachary Cruz was found on Wilson Middle School premises and that a violent act was planned for February 14, 2025. This information is entirely false and misleading. Mr. Cruz was arrested for trespassing and has not been back on school property since his release.
The claim made in the post that “police are not taking this as seriously as it needs to be until something bad really happens,” is absolutely not true. Since the initial incident occurred, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, and Woodrow Wilson Police Department have been in constant communication and numerous adjustments have been made to keep our schools safe and secure from threats.
Sheriff Donald Smith states:
"It is deeply concerning that such misinformation is being spread, causing fear and panic among students, parents, and faculty. The Augusta County Sheriff's Office is fully aware of Zachary Cruz’s status, and the accurate facts have already been communicated to our community. Our department, along with state and local law enforcement, remains committed to ensuring the safety of all schools in Augusta County. We strongly urge the public to refrain from sharing unverified information that can cause unnecessary panic."
To further reassure parents and the community, Augusta County Schools will have an increased law enforcement presence at all Wilson-area schools on February 14, 2025.
Augusta County School Superintendent Eric Bond also addressed the situation, stating:
"We recognize the concerns that have surfaced regarding school safety. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community are our highest priorities. I want to assure you that school administrators, Sheriff Smith, and his department are in constant communication regarding security measures. We have heightened security at all schools, and we encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately."
We ask the public to trust official sources for updates and avoid spreading unverified claims that create unnecessary fear and disruption. Any individual found to be intentionally spreading false information that causes panic may be subject to legal consequences.
For accurate and timely information, please refer to the Augusta County Sheriff's Office official website and social media pages. Anyone with concerns or information regarding school safety should contact the Sheriff’s Office directly at 540-245-5333. The Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police will have a large presence within the Wilson Complex tomorrow. Deputies will also be at all Augusta County Public Schools.
The School Board of Augusta County Public Schools seeks an outstanding educational leader to serve as superintendent. The start date for the new superintendent will be on or before January 1, 2026. Visit https://5il.co/37etl for more application information. Augusta County Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer.
Grading Timeline Adjustment: Due to the loss of five full days of instruction and 4 delayed days in January, there is a need to adjust the grading window and reporting period for the 3rd quarter.
The 3rd Quarter will now end on 3/14/2025 with Report Cards still available on 3/21/2025. The 4th Quarter will begin on 3/17/2025.
The 3rd Quarter will now have 42 days and the 4th Quarter will now have 41 days.
Notice of Public Hearing: The Augusta County School Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. to receive input as it pertains to the 2025-2026 budget. The meeting will be held at the Augusta County Government Center in Verona, Virginia. All interested parties are invited to attend. Details for those wishing to speak are available on the "School Board" tab of the Augusta County Public Schools website. The regular School Board meeting will follow.
Calendar Update: Originally, report cards were supposed to go out or be available tomorrow, January 10. Due to the closures this week, and teachers/counselors not being in the buildings, report cards will now go out/be available on Wednesday, January 15.
On Thursday, December 5, 20024, the School Board unanimously voted to approve the Personally-Owned Electronic Device (PED)-Free Education policy. This policy will go into effect at the beginning of the second semester when students return to school following the holiday break on Monday, January 6, 2025. The expectation for students will be that all personally owned electronic devices are “away for the (school) day.” Administrators and teachers will be working with their students to communicate the expectations for them when they return from break. We encourage you to take some time to familiarize yourself with the policy and have a conversation with your student(s). More information
Augusta County Schools will be CLOSED on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
Augusta County Schools will be CLOSED on Monday, September 30, 2024.
At the October 3, 2024 meeting, the Augusta County School Board will consider approving revisions to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ACPS and the Augusta County Sheriff's Office. The public is welcome to sign up to speak during the "delegations" portion of the agenda to address the School Board on this matter. The MOU revisions are available for review here: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/documents/resources/agendas-and-minutes/agendas/2024/561480
All after-school activities for Augusta County Public Schools have been cancelled for today (Friday, September 27, 2024).
September 17, 2024
On September 16, 2024, posts were made via Snapchat. These messages targeted Wilson Memorial High School (WMHS) students and were threatening in nature. These posts were viewed by many outside of the Wilson school community.
The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), school division administration, and WMHS administration immediately launched an investigation. The Sheriff’s Office determined that the threats originated from the same Snapchat profile as the threats that targeted Harrisonburg City Schools. The individual has been arrested, and criminal petitions are pending. The ACSO investigation has concluded, and there is no current threat to WMHS or any other ACPS school.
What is of concern now is that students are continuing to spread the message or use pieces of the threatening Snapchat post in their conversations at school today. These conversations are understandable as students process the impact of this post on our schools and community and their concerns about school safety. In several of our schools, these conversations have been overheard and reported to the administration as potential threats. Students have heard conversations or rumors and have made reports as they’ve been encouraged to do. School administrators and School Resource Officers (SROs) have immediately investigated and determined the potential threats are related to yesterday’s Snapchat threat that has been so widely publicized in our area. There are no new and no valid threats to any ACPS school at this time.
Parents and families, we ask you to use this example to talk to your students about the importance of their statements, in-person or online. Please monitor, educate, and counsel your students about the impact of their comments. The ACSO and School Administrators need parents to understand and explain that these threats have serious consequences. We commend those individuals who reported the post and subsequent concerns of threatening comments. We always want students to “see something, say something” when they have concerns. Those responsible for making threatening statements are subject to our school disciplinary process as well as potential criminal charges by law enforcement.
Respectfully,
Dr. Eric W. Bond Donald Smith
ACPS Superintendent Sheriff, Augusta County
September 17, 2024
Update to Wilson High School Threat:
The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office received information about a threat targeting
Wilson High School on Monday, September 16, 2024, at approximately 6:05pm.
The threatening posts alleged gun violence at the school would occur on
Tuesday, September 17, 2024. The Augusta County threats mirrored the same
messages that targeted Harrisonburg City Schools earlier in the day today. The
threatening posts appeared to follow the same format.
The ACSO immediately launched an investigation into the threats targeting
Wilson High School. While investigating the initial threat, additional threats with
different verbiage were intercepted. It was quickly determined that the threats
originated from the same SnapChat profile as the threats that targeted
Harrisonburg City Schools. The Harrisonburg City Police Department has the
juvenile in custody that is responsible for posting these threats.
At this time there is no threat to any of the Wilson Schools. Students, faculty,
parents and our community can be assured that the individual responsible for
these threatening messages is in custody at this time.
“I know these types of threats and messages bring great fear, anxiety, and
uncertainty to our community. Please know that the Augusta County Sheriff’s
Office and Central Office works extremely hard to keep our community and
schools safe at all times. If the origin was not determined, we would be
cancelling school,” said Sheriff Donald L. Smith.
Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased police presence
around the Wilson Complex throughout the day Tuesday.
The ACSO and Augusta County Public Schools remind parents to please
monitor, educate, and counsel their children about social media. Students
and young adults may think these types of threats are funny, jokes, or used
to seek attention. However, the ACSO and School Administrators need
parents to understand and explain that these threats have serious
consequences. VA Code section, 18.2-60- Threats of death or bodily injury
to a person or to a member of is family; threats of death or bodily injury to
persons on school property; threats of death or bodily injury to health care
providers is a felony.
From the Augusta County Sheriff's Dept:
Threat to Wilson High School
The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a threat that was posted on
social media targeting Wilson High School earlier this evening. The ACSO is in contact
with Central Office and Wilson School Administration. The Sheriff’s Office is working
diligently to investigate the origin of this threat.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available. “This is an ongoing
investigation at this time, we will update our community as soon as possible,” said
Sheriff Donald L. Smith.
September 12, 2024: This afternoon, we were notified by the Sheriff’s Department of a non-school related event in the Wilson schools community. Out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriff advised our schools to “secure.” During a code “secure”, students and staff remain inside the school and the instructional routine is not disrupted. The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) responded to the situation and provided extra security and support. Once the individual was apprehended, the “secure” was released. At no time was the safety of our students nor staff compromised. We are thankful for the communication from law enforcement and the response from our schools.
Every Day Counts! September is National Attendance Awareness Month. Simply put, the first step towards student success is simply being present! We look forward to partnering with our students and families to make sure our students are present and engaged on a regular basis. Besides, we miss them when they're not here. Augusta County, let's make good school attendance a priority this school year!
Augusta County Public Schools: Please see the following press release from the Augusta County Sheriff's Office. As always, student safety is a priority in our schools and we are thankful for our partnerships with the Sheriff's Office:In the early morning hours of August 30, 2024 at approximately 5:51 AM, The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office received information that a student was threatening to shoot up an Augusta County school over
social media.
An investigation was immediately launched into the content of the
threatening messages. Deputies responded to the student’s address
and spoke with the suspect about the threatening messages. The
juvenile suspect was taken into custody, and charged with Felony
Virginia Code 18.2-60, Threats of Death or Bodily Injury, prior to the
busses running their routes in the immediate area. The juvenile was
taken to The Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Detention Center.
“This was an isolated incident, and the juvenile was taken into custody
prior to the school day beginning this morning, therefore there was no
threat to the school,” said Sheriff Donald L. Smith.
The ACSO and Augusta County Public Schools remind parents to
please monitor, educate, and counsel their children about social media.
Students and young adults may think these types of threats are funny,
jokes, or used to seek attention. However, the ACSO and School
Administrators need parents to understand and explain that these
threats have serious consequences. VA Code section, 18.2-60-
Threats of death or bodily injury to a person or to a member of his
family; threats of death or bodily injury to persons on school property;
threats of death or bodily injury to heath care providers is a felony.
Augusta County Public Schools will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2024 as we recognize the Labor Day Holiday.
August 7, 2024 is the First Day of School for our students in Augusta County. REMINDER: School buses will be on the roads. Please drive carefully. Look out for children. And stop while their stop arms are out.
Also, please remember that it often takes a few days for the traffic patterns to work themselves out at our school buildings. So please be patient with our school staffs and each other as we welcome our kids back into our buildings!
The live feed for tonight's school board meeting is listed below:https://youtube.com/live/TvRC1KOa62A