Knox County Schools is reviewing a "communications breakdown" around a report of school violence, including whether there will be disciplinary action.
Knox County Schools is reviewing a communications breakdown around a reported threat of school violence, including whether the principal will face disciplinary action for failure to report it to authorities, according to the superintendent.
"There is going to be accountability for not following the protocol," Superintendent Bob Thomas told USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee on Tuesday.
In the interview,Thomas said there was a "breakdown in communication" between law enforcement and school officials about the threat that led to delays in police being able to investigate.
Authorities ultimately determined there was no immediate threat to safety, but the incident exposed problems with the school safety system, including law enforcement using a wrong phone number for the schools security chief and the recent breakdown of Text-a-Tip, a text messaging system the public can use to report threats to school safety.
What's protocol for reporting threats?
Thomas said the proper protocol for how to handle threats of school violence was not followed. Specifically, Holston Middle School Principal Kathryn Lutton should have reported the threat to the school resource officer.
When asked if she will face any disciplinary action, Thomas said, "All of this is under review. There is going to be accountability for not following the protocol."
The USA TODAY NETWORK -Tennessee has asked Knox County Schools for copies of relevant policies and protocols but they were not immediately made available Tuesday.
Lutton declined to comment and deferred questions to the district's central office.
"My school has been at the forefront of this but this situation doesn't just encompass our school," she said. "It's a district-wide issue."
The USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee is not identifying the name of the boy who allegedly made the threat, but documents from the Knoxville Police Department show two girls in the school had reported that he was talking about bringing a gun to school on Feb. 15.
The girls reported that to Lutton, who phoned the boy's mother that afternoon and arranged to meet with her in the morning.
Meanwhile, law enforcement who had independently learned of the threat were conducting their own investigation and were unable to reach school security officials.
Normally, a principal would be required to immediately report a threat to law enforcement, the school resource officer and the superintendent's office, but Thomas said Tuesday that didn't happen.
He said he didn't have a date for when the protocol was last reviewed with school principals.
"They have been reminded and there have been trainings, but obviously if someone’s not following it we’re not doing something right," he said. "That's something I'm going to deal with. Have there been other occasions? I'm not going to say there haven't been.
"We try to stress that law enforcement is our partner and as a principal you need to make sure you notify the school resource officer, law enforcement of any situation like this so that it can be handled properly."
Any and every threat received by school staff is to be submitted to either the school resource officer or law enforcement officials, said KCS Chief Operating Officer Russ Oaks.
“The first thing you want to do is take two or three minutes to gather all the information you can from whatever source you’ve got," he said. "And then the requirement (states) you have to immediately turn around and report to your school resource officer or your corrective school security officer or law enforcement and then at that point they’ll make decisions (from there)."
Oaks said the policy governing those decisions are part of the district’s school safety plan which is reviewed annually. It was last reviewed last summer, he said.
School officials are scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Knoxville Police Department and Knoxville Sheriff's Office to review the breakdown and discuss security moving forward.
A handful of parents interviewed outside Holston Middle School Tuesday said they were unaware of the situation, including both the original threat as well as the communications breakdown.
Michael Drew, who said he heard about it from a co-worker Tuesday morning, said the district should act more quickly in notifying parents of threats of violence. He was at school around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, an hour before the dismissal time, because he said he was concerned about his daughter.
"I got a message yesterday about it being an in-service day yesterday, but I didn’t hear nothing about the threat from Thursday and I thought that was kind of weird and strange," Drew said.
"You have to take threats like that real serious, especially with what’s happening all over the country in schools."
Sarah Wilson, whose granddaughter is in the eighth grade, also said she hadn't heard of the threat or the breakdown. In the past she said parents have received an "all call" when a threat is reported.
"It concerns me that they weren’t able to get a hold of anybody," she said upon learning of the situation. "We’ve had several threats at this school in the last three years since we’ve been here. It really frightens the children. It upsets them for the whole day. Parents have to drop their kids off right in the middle of it. It's a bad situation."
The threat was reported last Thursday, the same day a 19-year-old former student shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“Our law enforcement agencies must have immediate and dependable access to Knox County School security and leadership, and any breakdown in that communication is unacceptable; the safety of our students is too important," Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said in a statement.
Members of the Knox County Schools Board of Education said Monday the district has taken proactive measures in school security and they would await a district review of safety plans before considering any changes or updates in the wake of yet another school shooting.
School board member Terry Hill said Tuesday she could not comment on the communications breakdown other than to say that it raises questions about security in Knox County Schools.
"Of course it does," she said. "I can assure you it is being investigated and will be corrected. No breach is acceptable."
Hill said she was made aware of it "after the fact" but did not recall whether she knew about the breakdown during her discussion with a reporter Monday.
"It raises several questions but beyond that I don't know the answer to any of those at this point," said board member Mike McMillan. "I think right now it would be premature for me to comment too much until I have more information."
USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee reporter Tyler Whetstone contributed to this report.