Covington Catholic closed Tuesday for security reasons following video confrontation

COVINGTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- Covington Catholic High School was closed Tuesday.

The school sent a letter to students and faculty early Tuesday announcing the decision to cancel classes because of security reasons. A small protest was held outside the diocese.

The letter says after meeting with local authorities, officials made the decision to close to ensure the safety at the school. All activities on campus are canceled, and students, faculty and staff are asked "not to be on campus for any reason."

Covington Catholic is at the center of a social media firestorm over a video of students in Washington, D.C. The video shows a student identified as Nick Sandmann in an apparent confrontation with a Native American organizer of a march at the Lincoln Memorial.

Sandmann released a statement Monday saying students were waiting at the Lincoln Memorial for buses to return to Kentucky on Friday when four African-American protesters there began insulting them.

The Native American, Nathan Phillips, said he approached the Kentucky students to keep the peace between them and the third group of protesters. Videos show Sandmann standing very close to Phillips and staring at him as he sang and played the drum. Other students, some in "Make America Great Again" hats and sweatshirts, were chanting and laughing.

Sandman said the students began yelling "school spirit chants" to drown out the protesters, and he did not hear students chant anything "hateful or racist at any time."

President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday that the students at Covington Catholic "have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be" but said he hopes the teens will use the attention for good, and "maybe even to bring people together."

Here is the text of the letter sent out Tuesday morning:

Dear Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

After meeting with local authorities, we have made the decision to cancel school and be closed on Tuesday, January 22, in order to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff. All activities on campus will be cancelled for the entire day and evening. Students, parents, faculty and staff are not to be on campus for any reason.

Please continue to keep the Covington Catholic Community in your prayers.

God Bless,

Mr. Rowe