Students and staff at a northeast Arkansas high school were behind bolt-locked doors Friday, following a nearly hour-long lockdown after students reported a “credible threat” to a teacher, officials at Hoxie Public Schools said.
Superintendent Kelly Gillham said the lockdown started around 10:45 a.m. when a teacher heard what he described as a “credible threat,” prompting a 911 call and immediate lockdown of the 380-student school.
The security procedure saw a large police response minutes later as officers barricaded streets leading up to the school as officers searched the campus, Gillham said.
No weapons were found, she said.
The Lawrence County sheriff’s office said it interviewed three students. The sheriff's office and school officials said the threat was still being investigated Friday afternoon.
Gillham praised police and teachers for the swift response, saying that when officers arrived within five minutes of the lockdown, the school was silent with no students or teachers in sight.
“We want our students to feel safe when they are on our campus and know that we’re prepared for anything,” Gillham said.
Still, she called the incident stressful for both students and parents, who were kept away from the school until the lockdown ended, prompting some parents to take their children home early.
Students typically perform lockdown drills twice a year and teachers are constantly given updated training, the superintendent said.
“I’m glad that we did so well. I’m not happy about the fact that students felt threatened, but we continually work on school safety and training,” Gillham said