Update on Last Week’s Incident at Thomas S. Wootton High School

An update was provided by Wootton High School principal Kimberly Boldon on the situation that occurred at the school last week that involved police coming to the school to investigate.

The update came in a letter to the community, which can be seen below:

“Dear Thomas S. Wootton High School Community,

I am writing to provide an update to an incident that occurred at Wootton on Tuesday, November 2, involving members of our football team. When I wrote to you during the evening of Nov. 2, I reported that Montgomery County Police (MCPD) were called to the school to investigate a serious incident. The police, upon investigation, found no criminal activity, including no evidence of a sexual assault. As a result, I shared with you in the message that we would be conducting an MCPS based administrative investigation of the incident. We have concluded that investigation, and I want to share what we learned with you.

In review: On Tuesday, Nov. 2, a staff member located in the team locker room, observed an incident that he deemed serious and necessary to report to school administration. By established process and out of an abundance of caution, our administration called Montgomery County Police (MCPD) for support.  The police investigated the incident before the team left the school and it was determined that the incident was not a sexual assault. Based upon the current information gathered by MCPD there is no further criminal investigation regarding this incident. As stipulated in the memorandum of understanding between MCPS and MCPD, the police turned over management of the incident to MCPS. In the following days, our school administration investigated the incident as a potential disciplinary matter, and it has been addressed in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

What worked well: 

• MCPS staff present managed and de-escalated the situation.
• MCPS staff took the appropriate steps to inform school administration who immediately alerted MCPD partners.
• School administration and central office personnel from the Office of Teaching, Learning and Schools as well as the Department of School Safety and Emergency Management reported to the school immediately to provide support and guidance to all involved.
• The school prepared written communication to share with team families and the school community in accordance with usual established practice.

Moving Forward:

• We are reinforcing our expectations for student interactions in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct before, during and after practice with all students involved.
• MCPS will be reviewing how we manage parental involvement when there is a police investigation ongoing in a school building or facility.
• We will provide enhanced communication between families and the school during an investigation.

I want to assure you we took all of the required steps, in collaboration with MCPD and the MCPS Department of School Security and Emergency Management, to ensure our students’ safety and well-being.

Our students deserve to be recognized and celebrated for all the amazing things they do every day. I thank the entire Thomas S. Wootton High School community for your support of the students and the school.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Boldon

Principal”