Jackson County Schools Partnership with County Sheriff's Office

Jackson County -- September 11, 2024: The following was announced by the Jackson Public School North Carolina

Jackson County Public Schools is pleased to announce its partnership with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Emergency Management and local first responder agencies to establish a School Safety Taskforce. These agencies include the fire marshal's office, emergency management, Harris EMS, Jackson County Communications and Harris Regional Hospital. 

This collaborative effort, which began in July, will enhance school safety through safety walk-throughs at all nine schools and the creation of a concise one-page emergency practices document. Some school walk-throughs have already occurred. “Jackson County Emergency Management is proud to be a part of the School Safety Taskforce and the chance to mitigate any life-threatening incidents that could affect our students or staff within our school system. Protecting our children and our educators is our top priority while joining forces with our local responders and Jackson County Public School system,” says Todd Dillard, Emergency Management Director.

The School Safety Taskforce will focus on proactive measures and streamlined communication to ensure swift and effective responses in critical situations that may arise. The ultimate goal of the Taskforce is to maintain a secure learning environment for the students and staff in Jackson County. Sheriff Farmer writes, “thanks to everyone for their commitment to such an important part of public safety, protecting our children and school staff. It is paramount that we work together as a first responder community and partner with Jackson County Public Schools to be proactive in our response to critical incidents that may arise at our schools.”

The safety of students and staff is the number one priority of JCPS.

We have been made aware of concerns regarding nationwide threats currently circulating on social media. Our team of administrators and central office leadership is working closely with law enforcement to ensure there is no credibility to these online threats.
To address these concerns, there is increased law enforcement presence on campuses across the district. This includes both the Jackson County Sheriff's Office and the Sylva Police Department.
We are committed to providing a secure, safe, welcoming and supportive school environment for everyone.
Thank you for the support, communication and trust as you send your most precious students to us each day.