Good afternoon!
Our message to Westwood Hills students, families, and staff included a lot of important information and details. To make things a little easier, we’ve put together a “Key Takeaways” sheet that highlights the most important points and may be helpful for many families.
We appreciate you all and your continued support. Have a wonderful weekend!
Westwood Hills Recovery & Return: KEY TAKEAWAYS | SEPTEMBER 11, 2026
Good afternoon,
Please check our website and your email for important Westwood Hills Recovery and Return Information and Resources.
The information shared includes a number of resources to support our students, families, staff, and community. Please take some time to review these materials, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need additional support.
We know this is a challenging time for our community, and we remain committed to supporting one another. We will continue to communicate, collaborate, and partner together as we move forward.
Thank you for your continued care, patience, and support.
We hope to see you at our Drive-Through Family Resource Event, happening now until 6:00 p.m. in the front cafeteria loop at Westwood Hills.
Our team will be available to provide families with non-perishable food boxes, school meals, hygiene products, diapers, and other resources.
If you are unable to attend because of your work schedule, transportation needs, or another barrier, please text this number: 540-569-9926. A member of our team will reach out to learn more about your needs and how we can support your family.
We hope you'll stop by, and we look forward to seeing you!
Have a great afternoon!
Westwood Hills Elementary School will remain closed on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
The Waynesboro School Board and division administrative team continue to support the Westwood Hills staff, implement additional security enhancements, and prepare the school for a safe and thoughtful reopening. As of today, we are not yet able to share a reopening plan. We are consulting with local, state, and national experts who have experience helping schools reopen following an incident. We are also listening closely to the Westwood Hills staff and working to ensure they feel prepared and supported as they welcome your children back to school.
As a reminder, we will offer a drive-through resource event tomorrow, September 10, from 3:00–6:00 p.m. in the front loop of Westwood Hills. Members of the Waynesboro School Board and Central Office Administrative Team will be at Westwood Hills to greet your family. Families will be able to pick up non-perishable food, school meals, hygiene products, and diapers. We know the school closure has disrupted work schedules and daily routines for many of our families, and our goal is to provide support in any way we can during this difficult time.
We miss our students, and we look forward to the day when we can welcome them back to Westwood Hills. Until then, we will continue to support our students, staff, and families as we navigate these uncharted waters together.
Take care, and have a good evening.
We have two opportunities to support our Westwood Hills families this week!
This evening from 3:00–6:00 p.m., our School Nutrition Team will be distributing meals in the front loop near the cafeteria. This will be a convenient drive-through meal distribution, so families can remain in their vehicles while picking up meals.
Also, don’t forget about our Community Resource Event tomorrow from 3:00–6:00 p.m. at Westwood Hills.
We love our Westwood Hills families and look forward to serving and supporting you!
Have a wonderful afternoon!
Aidan was one of eight students selected from across the Commonwealth of Virginia selected to serve on the State Student Advisory Board.
Good afternoon!
Westwood Hills Elementary School will NOT be open on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. We are determining a timeline for Westwood’s reopening, but are not yet ready to announce a date.
Please check the Waynesboro Public Schools' website and your email for an update on the Westwood Hills Elementary School Recovery and Return details. Thank you for your support during this challenging time for our community.
Waynesboro Public Schools are providing this notification in conjunction with the Waynesboro Police Department: During the overnight hours of September 5, 2026, the Waynesboro Police Department received information from out of state about a potential threat to Westwood Hills Elementary School on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Throughout the weekend, Waynesboro Police Department personnel worked with school officials and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged threat, specifically to source its origin and locate the suspect. Westwood Schools was also searched and checked throughout the weekend out of precaution.
This afternoon, Waynesboro Police were able to locate the individual with the assistance of Harrisonburg Police Department and determine the alleged threat was false. The investigation continues, and charges are likely pending.
We are so sorry to have to share this message at such a difficult time for our community. Take care and have a good evening.
Waynesboro Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
We appreciate the continued care, support and compassion being shown throughout our school community.
Artwork created and shared by Mae Carrel, 7th grade student at KCMS. ❤️
Good evening.
Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support as our school division and the entire community navigate the difficult and unfamiliar circumstances surrounding the incident at Westwood Hills Elementary School.
The school division has created a website titled “Westwood Hills Elementary School Recovery and Return Information and Resources.” This site is intended to provide families, staff, and community members with the most current information and resources available as we move forward together.
We recognize that we do not yet have all of the answers and that no amount of information can fully ease the concerns and emotions surrounding this situation. We are committed, however, to communicating openly and keeping this website updated as additional information becomes available.
At the bottom of the webpage, you will also find a link where families and community members may submit additional questions. Your questions will help us identify areas where further information or clarification may be helpful.
Thank you again for your patience, compassion, and continued support of Westwood Hills and our school community. We hope you and your family are able to find some comfort and peace over the weekend.
Please review and share these resources with anyone who may benefit. Students and families may also contact their school counselor, psychologist, social worker or administrator for additional support.
We are grateful to our community partners for caring for and supporting our students, families and staff.
Good evening,
Westwood Hills Elementary School will be closed tomorrow, Friday, September 4, 2026, and Tuesday, September 8, 2026. In the coming days, we will share additional information with Westwood Hills families regarding the reopening of school on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support as we prepare the school to welcome students back, care for and support our staff, and listen to the needs of our school community.
We know this is an incredibly difficult time for our students, families, staff, and community. Several community organizations are available to provide support and resources to students and families. A list of those organizations and resources is available here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H4s3yfRSs2IrYA5OD22l-vCU1joCUpZu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115118456599463587778&rtpof=true&sd=true
As a show of unity and support for the students, staff, and families of Westwood Hills, we encourage staff and students across Waynesboro Public Schools to wear red or black (Westwood Hills’ school colors) or other school or Waynesboro gear tomorrow.
All other Waynesboro Public Schools will operate on a normal schedule tomorrow and Tuesday. Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased law enforcement presence at all Waynesboro Public Schools locations.
As a reminder, all Waynesboro Public Schools will be closed Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
Thank you for continuing to care for and support one another and the entire Westwood Hills community. Have a good evening.
suspicious individual on the grounds of Westwood Hills Elementary School, located at 548 Rosser
Avenue in the City of Waynesboro.
The individual, Anthony I. Ignatiadis-Isabelle, 19, of Waynesboro (Augusta County), Va., forced entry
into the school. Law enforcement responded within minutes and immediately entered the school.
There they located, in the library, the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
There were no students in the library at the time.
The time between the initial call and the location of the suspect was approximately three minutes.
One adult staff member did suffer a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The staff member has
been treated and since released.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation. As investigators continue their work, additional
information will be released when it is appropriate and confirmed.
Westwood Hills Elementary School will be closed Thursday. Waynesboro Public Schools will
communicate directly with families regarding available resources and any additional information
concerning school operations.
We recognize how frightening an incident like this is for students, parents, staff, and the entire
Waynesboro community. We are extremely grateful for the immediate response of school staff and
the coordinated response of the Waynesboro Police Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office,
Virginia State Police, and our other local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.
We also want to sincerely thank the parents, guardians, and families of Westwood Hills Elementary
School for their patience, cooperation, and understanding throughout today’s reunification process.
We know how difficult it is to wait for information when your child is involved in an emergency
situation. Your willingness to follow the established reunification procedures allowed school officials
and law enforcement to account for students and reunite them with their families in a safe and
orderly manner. We are extremely grateful for your cooperation during what was an understandably
stressful and emotional time.
We also want to thank the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which served as our reunification site for
our families. Their help was immense in bringing our families back together in this trying situation.
There are still aspects of this incident that are under investigation, so there will be questions we simply
cannot answer today. We will provide as much verified information as we can while protecting the
integrity of that investigation.
Quote from Dr. Jeffrey Cassel, Superintendent of Waynesboro Public Schools:
“Today is the day every school system hopes they never have to deal with. I need to praise the
response of our staff and the Waynesboro Police Department, Augusta County Sheriff’s Office,
Virginia State Police, and our other local, state, and federal partners. Our safety and security protocols
and procedures worked. Staff notified law enforcement immediately, and our school executed our
lockdown procedures. Every student and staff member is safe and returned home to their families.
”
Also, there will be no late buses this afternoon. All students should arrive on regular schedule.
The lockdown at all Waynesboro Schools has been lifted. Parents wishing to pickup students can now access the school. The reunification process of the Westwood students and families has been our priority. We appreciate your cooperation, understanding and patience through this process. All students from Westwood have been released to their parents and guardians at this time or transportation is in route.
Currently, law enforcement is at all locations out of an abundance of caution. Parents are encouraged to follow the directions of school staff and law enforcement.
Again, all students, staff, and teachers are safe. All other Waynesboro school locations will dismiss at regular time today.
All Westwood students, teachers, and staff are accounted for and are safe. The school division is currently conducting reunifications of students and families at Westminister Presbyterian Church at 1904 Mount Vernon Street in Waynesboro. Families are staging in the lower fellowship hall.
As a precautionary measure, all other Waynesboro Public Schools have been placed on lockdown. More information will be released when it becomes available. All schools are secure and safe at this time. Parents and guardians, please do not call 911 for additional information. We will relay it as soon as possible.
Thank you to our students, families, staff and community partners for helping every student feel welcomed, supported and ready to learn. Your presence matters today and all year long.
View the presentation here: https://aptg.co/X306F8