Officials placed several Mississippi school districts on lockdown due to threats of violence on Tuesday, Sept 10—less than a week after a deadly school shooting in Georgia.
Scott County Superintendent Alan Lumpkin said Bettye Mae Jack Middle School in Morton, Miss., went into lockdown status after students reported a TikTok video of a threatened school shooting to occur on Sept. 11. Law-enforcement officials responded to the school and were unable to identify a credible threat, Lumpkin said.
Lumpkin said law-enforcement presence will be increased for the remainder of the week. He commended the students for reporting a potential threat.
“We would like to thank our students for bringing this information to the attention of the school personnel,” Lumpkin said in a statement on Sept 10. “The student’s communication of the potential threat, along with the quick response of the school staff, administration, and local law enforcement, ensured the safety of our students and staff members today and should be commended.”
‘All Necessary Measures Were Taken’
The lockdown at Bettye Mae Jack Middle School was one of the latest in a series of threats across Mississippi this week. Schools in the Northwest Rankin School Zone also restricted student movement on Tuesday due to rumored threats. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department said in a release that they and the Rankin County School District Safety and Security Division immediately began actively investigating a threat that they received electronically at Northwest Rankin Middle School, in Flowood, Miss., around 8:41 a.m. on Sept. 10.
“Through the collaborative efforts of the Rankin County School District, the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and our state and federal partners a juvenile suspect was identified and has been arrested,” the Sheriff’s Department said via Facebook. “That individual will be transported to the Juvenile Detention Facility in Pelahatchie, MS with pending proceedings in Rankin County Youth Court.”
During the investigation, Northwest Rankin Middle School, Northwest Rankin Elementary School and Northwest Rankin High School were placed “in controlled building movement with no outside activities” with extra law enforcement on all campuses.
“We take all threats against our schools very seriously and are committed to ensuring the safety of our students and staff,” RCSD Public Relations Manager Sharon Patrick told WLBT on Sept. 10. “We will pursue prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.
School officials from the Rankin County Schools did not return requests for comment.
The Winston County Sheriff’s Department also posted to its social-media page on Sept. 10 that the Nanih Waiya Attendance Center was on lockdown due to a social-media threat. The post indicated that no one was hurt and that no shots were fired. The subject who made the threat was not on campus and is in custody.
“We will NOT take any threats to our schools lightly!!!!” officials said in the post.
School officials from the Louisville Municipal School District did not return requests for comment.
Officials in the Hinds County School District also responded to a potential threat at Raymond High School. Hinds County Public Schools Community Relations Director Tonie Crisler said that although officials investigated a threat, the district did not place any schools on lockdown.
“We launched a thorough investigation in partnership with our administrators and other personnel, and it was determined that the threat was not credible,” Crisler said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on Sept 11. “All necessary measures were taken to manage the situation and ensure the continued safety of everyone at our school. Our school will proceed as normal, and everyone is safe to attend.”
‘False Information Caused Unnecessary Fear‘
A day earlier on Sept. 9, officials temporarily placed Provine High School in Jackson on lockdown after a disturbance between two people near the school’s office. Law enforcement took the individuals into custody. JPS Executive Director of Public Engagement Sherwin Johnson said contrary to reports on social media, no weapons were involved, and no one was harmed during the incident.
“(That) false information caused unnecessary fear among families and disrupted the school environment,” Johnson said in a statement. “I have received no reports indicating threats at other schools. It is believed the incident originated from an issue in the surrounding community. The safety of our scholars and staff remains our top priority, and we appreciate the prompt response from all involved.”
The threats come days after a 14-year-old student in Wilder, Ga., killed two students and two teachers and injured nine others in a school shooting. Law enforcement charged the student as an adult with four counts of felony murder. Schools remain on heightened awareness as multiple threats have been reported across the country since the Apalachee High School shooting.
“We are aware of similar threats being communicated at multiple schools across the nation this week,” Lumpkin said in the statement. “We will fully investigate each and every threat to ensure the safety and well being of our students and staff members.”
The Mississippi Department of Education said that officials there are concerned any time there is a threat to a school district and that MDE is ready to provide any needed support.
“All accredited schools and districts in Mississippi are subject to Accountability Standard 31, which among many other safety assurances, requires districts to have an updated emergency operation plan to mitigate various threats of danger to their campuses to include social media threats of harm or violence,” MDE Public Information Officer Shanderia Minor said in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 11. “MDE works closely alongside the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security in responding, identifying, and mitigating those threats. Additionally, school resource officers and school safety administrators work closely with local, state, and federal partners to investigate threats of harm to our students and education systems.”