Knox County Schools and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office worked together on Thursday to quickly address a serious safety concern that emerged following an investigation at Hardin Valley Academy.
On Thursday morning, HVA staff became aware of a gas valve that had been running in one of the science labs overnight resulting in a strong smell in the hallways. Fans were set up and doors open to ventilate the area, while KCS Maintenance and Emergency personnel worked to resolve the issue
ensuring students were safe.
Following the mitigation of the gas fumes, the district received information suggesting that there may have been an additional safety risk associated with the situation and took precautionary measures to evacuate and dismiss school early.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office immediately launched an investigation and discovered that a contract custodian [Duncan & Sons] had intentionally turned on and left the gas valve running in the HVA classroom. He was taken into custody by KCSO and terminated by his employer.
“Having a safe school environment is my number one priority to ensure effective teaching and learning,” Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk said. “I am thankful for the strong partnership that we have with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies and grateful to the KCS staff for their immediate actions to keep students, staff, and families safe.”
“The safety of our children and faculty in Knox County is paramount. Today, we had a positive outcome for everyone; however, it was a dangerous situation. I’m grateful there were no injuries and thankful we have a good working relationship with Knox County Schools,” Sheriff Tom Spangler said. “I commend the actions of our Patrolman assigned to HVA and our Detectives for their expeditious efforts in identifying the suspect and ensuring the safety of everyone at HVA. Let me be clear, now more than ever before, after this week’s events in Nashville, all of us at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and KCS take any threat seriously and will not tolerate endangering our children, the faculty, and the administration. The investigation is active and will be led by KCSO’s Major Crimes Unit.”
The school building was cleared by law enforcement personnel and school will return to normal operations on Friday.
School safety is a top priority for KCS and its law enforcement partners. KCS thanks the Knox County Sherriff’s Office for its swift action.
