All Barrow County schools were released from soft lockdown at 11:15 a.m. Friday after law enforcement officials completed safety sweeps in response to multiple bomb threats received earlier in the morning. According to a media release from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, no suspicious packages or devices were found during the investigation.
The threats, which were phoned-in to five schools—including County Line Elementary, Yargo Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Winder Elementary, and Apalachee High School—prompted an immediate response from the sheriff’s office and supporting agencies. Deputies were stationed at all campuses, and a thorough search of each affected school was conducted.
Officials thanked the community for its patience and support during the investigation. The source of the threats remains under investigation, and authorities say similar incidents have occurred in other jurisdictions in recent weeks.
A press conference is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. today at the Barrow County Schools Central Office, 179 West Athens Street in Winder, to provide further updates.
Previous update:
A series of bomb threats targeting multiple campuses prompted a district-wide lockdown of Barrow County schools Friday morning, May 2, according to a media release from the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
The threats began at approximately 8:20 a.m., when County Line Elementary School received a phoned-in bomb threat. Within minutes, four additional schools—Yargo Elementary, Kennedy Elementary, Winder Elementary, and Apalachee High School—also received similar threats via telephone.
In response, the Barrow County School System (BCSS) placed all schools in the district on lockdown. No evacuations have occurred, and all students and staff are reported safe.
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by law enforcement agencies from other jurisdictions, has deployed multiple deputies to every campus and is actively conducting security sweeps at the affected schools.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that similar threats have been made at schools in other jurisdictions in recent days and weeks,” said Major Todd Druse, Public Information Officer for BCSO.
All Barrow County School System (BCSS) campuses were placed on a soft lockdown after multiple schools received threatening phone calls, according to statements from the Barrow County Fire Department social media post and the school district website.
Law enforcement have closed roads around several schools to allow emergency responders to assess each scene. Authorities are asking parents and the public to avoid going to school campuses, warning that doing so could interfere with the ongoing investigation and campus security.
During a soft lockdown, no visitors or student checkouts are allowed, and schools continue normal operations inside while access is restricted from the outside.
“We will update as soon as we have more information to share,” read an update posted on both the school district website. The nature of the threats and which schools were specifically targeted have not yet been disclosed.
This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more details become available from local authorities.
