Following a "vague" threat against Louisville schools, only 45.5 percent of Jefferson County Public Schools students attended class on Friday, Superintendent Donna Hargens said.
For December, the daily average attendance rate was 93.6 percent, Hargens said.
JCPS initially reported that the attendance rate was 46.4 percent, but revised the figure later in the afternoon. (Search the attendance rate at each JCPS school on this database.)
During a news conference Friday, Hargens said she was disappointed by the attendance figure because JCPS schools have a "limited number of days" to teach students.
"Attendance and learning go together," Hargens said. "Attendance matters. That is certainly an impact on learning."
On Thursday, school district administrators said a "vague threat" had been made against Louisville schools for Friday. The threat was called into Louisville Metro Police, Hargens said.
JCPS responded by implementing "heightened security" procedures, which included locking exterior doors, minimizing hallway traffic and canceling outdoor activities. Hargens said she was unaware of any searches at JCPS schools. She said she's hopeful the person who made the threat is found, noting that the impact is a "big deal."
"We gave the alert, really, out of an overabundance of caution," Hargens said. "Safety is our No. 1 priority. We have to take everything seriously."
This story has been updated.
