Two students at Ryle High School in Union were arrested after a gun was spotted in a school restroom during the second week of classes, the Boone County Sheriff's Office announced.
Deputies received a call Aug. 25 just before 4 p.m., reporting that a student had been seen with a gun in a restroom the previous day, Aug. 24. Investigators identified two students through witness accounts, arrested them and transported them to the Campbell County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, WCPO first reported.
The sheriff's office said it determined the incident was isolated and not connected to any threats or plans to harm students or staff at the school.
Charges have not been disclosed.
The students' ages and grade levels were not released, though their placement at the juvenile detention center confirms they are minors.
Second week of school
Boone County Schools opened the 2026-27 academic year on Aug. 19. The gun incident occurred just four school days into the term at Ryle, which enrolls 2,077 students in grades 9 through 12.
The timing follows a district-wide letter Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald sent to all Boone County families on Thursday, Aug. 20, warning about an escalation of terroristic threats in Kentucky schools. In that letter, Hauswald said the district would pursue felony terroristic threatening charges in the second degree against any student who makes such threats, and would advocate for swift prosecution and severe punishment.
The Aug. 20 letter cited KRS 508.078, which defines terroristic threatening in the second degree as intentionally making false statements about acts likely to result in death or serious injury for the purpose of causing school evacuations, canceling classes or creating fear among students, parents or school personnel.
The sheriff's office has not said whether the charges in the Ryle case fall under that statute. Investigators have not connected the restroom gun incident to any threat.
What's next
No statement specifically addressing the Aug. 24 incident has been released by Ryle High School or the Boone County School District. The sheriff's office has not announced a court date.
