JCPS: Western High School principal taken to hospital after incident with student

The principal of Western High School was taken to a hospital after an incident involving a student, Jefferson County Public Schools said.

The student "made physical contact" with Principal Anthony Sieg on Tuesday, JCPS spokesman Mark Hebert confirmed.

Sieg was taken to a hospital "as a precaution and was discharged in less than 90 minutes," Hebert said.

Read more: Security threats at Louisville public schools quadrupled this year. Here's why

"The student will be disciplined in accordance with JCPS policy," he added.

Despite concerns about student behavior across JCPS this school year, district data has shown drops in suspensions and behavior referrals, previous Courier Journal reports found.

Schools in Jefferson County had raised their security levels nearly 30 times so far this school year as of November, quadruple the rate for the same time period in 2019, but many of those incidents were precautions in response to police activity near school buildings.

In 2019, the JCPS board voted to remove school resource officers from its district amid budget cuts and nationwide concerns about officers' impacts on students of color, though the debate over that issue was reignited earlier this school year in the wake of a fatal shooting at a school bus stop.

LMPD had pulled officers out of schools before that vote, citing staffing issues.

Mary Ramsey is a breaking news reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach her at mramsey@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @mcolleen1996. Support strong local journalism in our community by subscribing to The Courier Journal today.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Western High principal taken to hospital after incident with student