A rash of hoax calls to Georgia police departments reporting shootings at schools is triggering searches, lockdowns and chaos at schools throughout the entire state.
In Coastal Georgia, Brunswick High School was cleared by law enforcement after a threat was made against the school Wednesday morning.
As a precaution all Glynn County Schools have been placed on a Code Yellow lockdown, according to the school district.
“We are aware that several other school districts have also received similar calls this morning and have begun investigations into these reports. We have increased police presence on all campuses to closely monitor the school grounds and student body, so as to maintain a safe learning environment for your child and our school staff,” district officials said in a social media post.
The Camden County 911 center received a phone call reporting there was an active shooter at the Camden County High school and 6 students were shot. The sheriff’s department immediately responded and began to clear the school while it was on lockdown for the safety of the students and staff.
During the same time there were multiple schools in several counties up and down the coast of Georgia stating the same similar incident was happening at their schools.
After successfully clearing the high school and confirming there were no shots fired and no students injured, the call was determined to be unfounded.
In Fulton County, Cambridge High School is currently under a lockdown,
Milton Police responded late this morning to a reported incident at Cambridge High School.
In a 911 call, an unknown source who claimed to be a Cambridge teacher stated that shots had been fired at the school. Milton Police contacted Cambridge High’s administration, which reported no incidents they were aware of though they did put the school on a hard lockdown.
Out of an abundance of caution, Milton Police Officers did a sweep of the school while students remained inside classrooms. They found no indication of shots fired, leaving the campus after determining the 911 call was a hoax.
Several other schools across Georgia received similar 911 calls reporting incidents.
In Richmond County, local news station WJBF reports that Westside High School in Augusta is currently on lockdown due to one of the calls.
In Floyd County, the Model area schools were also under a building lockdown as a precautionary measure due to hoax calls there./ After an investigation, no credible threat was been found at any Floyd County Schools campus.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp weighed in on the situation and has released the following statement.
“The security of schools across multiple coastal counties was unexpectedly put to the test this morning due to a cruel hoax.
“Law enforcement across all levels immediately sprang into action. They did not hesitate to rush toward potential danger to protect our children. Within five minutes of the first emergency call at the first school, state troopers were in the building, combing for any threats. I want to thank every law enforcement entity involved in today’s emergency responses.
“As the father of three daughters, the possibility of an active school shooter is a concern that I ask God to guard against every day. That is why we provided $30,000 for campus security to every single public school in the state my first year in office and why we have followed up with further school security grants since then. By the end of this year, we will also have trained over 400 school resource officers and provided them with further supports.
“Rest assured, for the criminals who orchestrated these hoaxes, we will go after them with every single resource available. The FBI is actively investigating these acts of domestic terrorism, and we will continue to diligently work with them to see these culprits are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
In Valdosta, Valdosta High School was one of the that went into lockdown after one of the hoax calls about an active shooter on campus.
School personnel and local first responders immediately jumped into action to sweep the entire campus. No shooters nor injuries were found during the sweep. There were reports of people experiencing panic and/or anxiety attacks and they are being treated by first responders on site.
Valdosta High School will release students early today. As soon as the first responders reopen the main gates parents will be allowed to pick up their students. Buses will also run and any student who drives to school will be allowed to go home for the day.
In Cartersville, a hoax call was made about a shooting at Cartersville High School. According to Cartersville City School officials, the calls are not limited to the state of Georgia but are a national occurrence today.
In Baldwin County, a call was received by the Milledgeville Police Department reporting an active shooter at Baldwin High School. The Milledgeville Police Department contacted the 911 Call Center where multiple units from all agencies were deployed. A lockdown was initiated at the school.
Upon law enforcement arrival, they immediately entered the building and did a search of the entire school where it was determined that no threat was present.
Upon further investigation, the call was determined to be part of the same statewide hoax.
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