Waynesboro police responded to an emergency at Westwood Hills Elementary School in Waynesboro, VA, where students, teachers and staff were evacuated on Wednesday morning. By 10:51 a.m., the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office said everyone had been safely moved to a designated staging area.
Witnesses reported more than 20 officers at the Rosser Avenue school with rifles drawn at 9:49 a.m. The same account said at least one victim had non-life-threatening injuries, and students were being moved to a local church while other local schools were placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Waynesboro Public Schools update
Waynesboro Public Schools acknowledged an emergency at Westwood Hills Elementary School at 10:15 a.m. and directed families to Westminister Pressbyterian Church at 1904 Mt. Vernon Street in Waynesboro for reunification. That instruction gave parents and guardians a single location to go as the evacuation continued.
The timeline mattered because the school and law enforcement were moving students out while keeping the area controlled. Reunification was tied to the school district’s notice, not to the initial witness reports that described the response.
Augusta County Sheriff’s Office response
At 10:29 a.m., the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office said the incident at Westwood Hills Elementary School was contained and secured. The office also said the children were safe and being evacuated at that time.
By 10:51 a.m., the sheriff’s office said all students, teachers and staff had been safely evacuated from the school and were at a designated staging area with law enforcement. The office added that personnel were actively working the scene and conducting a thorough clearance of the school.
Westwood Hills Elementary School lockdown
The first reports described an emergency that may have started in the school’s library, and the school was reportedly on lockdown. Those early accounts also mentioned an active-shooter claim that was not part of the later official statements, which instead said the scene was secured and the evacuations were complete.
For families tied to Westwood Hills Elementary School, the immediate step was to follow the reunification instructions and stay away from the area until further notice. The core question left by the day’s events is what caused the emergency in the first place.
