On Oct. 20, two people were shot at the WHHS South Field after an altercation broke out after a youth football game. However, this was not the only case of violence to occur at a Cincinnati school this year.
Nearby shootings caused the postponement of two North College Hill football games last month, interrupting them in the middle of the events. Additionally, a Taft student sustained a gunshot wound to the arm during the school day. This last May, a shooting outside of Withrow High School resulted in the death of a young man attending a graduation party.
WHHS even had to go on lock-in as a result of reported gunshots in the area on Oct. 16.
As a result, CPS rescheduled six football games on the week of Sept. 26, including the WHHS Homecoming game, to different dates and times in an attempt to avoid any possible local violence. However, these changes will primarily affect football games for the rest of the season.
“We have our evening security and other security members assisting with those games,” Matthew Chaney, WHHS assistant principal, said. “We also have CPD at any of our larger events, and then finally you do have administration. Usually one or more administrators are here as well, assisting the process to keep people safe.”
While community violence may be avoided by changing the time of kickoff, the problem of threats from within schools still exists. This year alone, WHHS school administrators addressed two potential threats from students.
“Any threat is taken as a real threat,” Chaney said. “The punishment that a student might face if they’re the one who’s making the threat is the same for someone who might not be a student but has made a threat. They are held to the full extent of the law, whether [the threat is] real or fake.”
As the first round of school performances and the fall sports season ends, focus now shifts towards ensuring safety for the upcoming winter season and the remainder of the school year.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure that we have as many adult leaders’ eyes at these events to try to help keep them safe, but also allow our students to have a good time and enjoy the high school experience,” Chaney said. “[Principal Morgan] and I are having a lot of conversations with individuals at the district level who oversee safety because we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to keep Walnut students and faculty safe.”