TIMOTHY P. WILLIAMS, Ed. D.

Superintendent

DONALD IRWIN, JR.

Business Manager

AMY D. BROWN
Director of Curriculum

112 Lindberg Avenue, Johnstown, PA 15905

814.255.6751 / 814.255.7735 fax
www.whsd.org
Unified in a commitment to inspire and to empower resilient, lifelong learners.

February 6, 2018

On behalf of the Westmont Hilltop School Board, I want to again congratulate our administrators, local
law enforcement agencies and community members in neutralizing the latest perceived or actual threat
to our student body. As with the earlier reported incidents, I am proud to report that our students were
never in danger of any actual harm. Our administration has now literally exemplified through its actions
time and again that student safety is always our primary focus on the Hilltop. I remain confident that
our students will continue to enjoy a safe and enriching learning environment that is second to none.

I have a wife and two children who are in our buildings every school day and many evenings. Like all
of you in the community, nothing causes more personal fear to me than the safety of my loved ones. In
times of fear, it is easy to let frustration cause fracture. This is especially true when our collective
anxiety is incited at the whim of reporters, and pressured by the passions of social media.

I will not stand for the suggestion that my fellow board members, or our administrators, are not
concerned about the safety of our students; particularly in reference to my fellow board members. My
colleagues are selfless volunteers who sacrifice an enormous amount of time away from their families
and careers to benefit others. They have never avoided public questioning about any of the decisions
they have made, nor will they start to do so now. Accordingly, do not allow the forum to dictate the
message of what is going on in our district, go directly to the source and receive the message for
yourself.

Instead of looking for blame in times of difficulty, let us instead make the wiser choice to come together.
My colleagues and I will be present for this Thursday’s regularly scheduled Student Activities
Committee meeting as advertised on our district website. I invite any interested person, including Chief
Hess, to come together for yet another detailed, in-depth discussion about student safety. Like always,
when we work together, Westmont Hilltop will continue to excel in all areas, including the safety of our
students.

Daniel D. Hill
School Board President

An Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the Westmont Hilltop School District not to discriminate in employment or program services for reasons of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, or handicapping condition.