Precautionary Measures Taken at CMS After Report Received   Covington, VA (Sept. 18, 2024) - A precautionary shelter-in-place was issued this morning at Covington Middle School in Covington, VA, after administrators received a report of a weapon on school property.  The school resource officer was quickly notified, and AHPS and CMS administration promptly investigated in cooperation with local law enforcement. The report was found to be non-credible. No weapon was found on the school property. CMS students and staff were safe at all times. As a reminder, a shelter-in-place is not the same as a lockdown during which students might hide.  A shelter-in-place allows many instructional activities to continue. “We are very thankful for a positive outcome in this situation and appreciate everyone’s assistance and support,” said Chief Chris Smith of the Covington Division of Police.  “The information above is being provided at this time as we have been able to complete this phase of our investigation.” AHPS thanks local law enforcement and the community for its positive response to this matter. We urge anyone with information about a threat to our students and staff to report it immediately.  AHPS takes the safety of our students and staff seriously. It takes a community to keep our schools safe. “We are thankful that our community is involved.  We encourage parents and guardians to remind students both to report concerns promptly and to follow school rules,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS.  “School division and school crisis plans were followed, and our staff took appropriate and expected actions.” Families are also encouraged to make sure that their contact information is up-to-date in the school division’s information system if they wish to receive “robo” messages and texts about AHPS matters.   With approximately 2,700 students, AHPS was created when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center merged in July 2022. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington. AHPS news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.

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