The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe County Middle School was under soft lockdown for about two hours Tuesday morning after a “possible threat” was found written on a stall in the seventh grade boys restroom.
The lockdown began shortly after Oglethorpe County School System Superintendent Beverley Levine was alerted of the threat at 9:35 a.m. by OCMS principal Mack Baldwin. It continued until about 11:30 a.m.
During the lockdown, school officials searched the backpacks of students seen on footage of who had used the restroom. The school and the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office requested and received help from a “weapon sniffing dog” provided by UGA.
No weapons were found in the backpacks searched.
The lockdown was communicated to parents through an email from Levine sent at about 9:52 a.m. It stated:
“OCMS is on a soft lock down due to a threat written on a bathroom wall. We take all threats very seriously. Law enforcement has been called and is handling the situation. At this time, no one can enter or leave the building. We will communicate as soon as we know more.
“Please do not come to the school as you will not be able to check out your student at this time.”
Rosanna Ames, communications consultant for the school system, explained that in a soft lockdown, students are free to move in their classrooms, but may not leave or enter the hallways. No one is allowed in or out of the building except law enforcement.
When the lockdown ended, Levine sent another email:
“Oglethorpe County Middle School is off lock-down. A huge thank you to those who helped investigate a potential threat written on a bathroom stall. Thank you to our Sheriff's Department who came to assist in the investigation, and to UGA for their help.
“We take all matters of safety things very seriously. Our first priority is to always secure the building and make sure our students and staff are safe. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and your family today.
“Our students are heading to lunch and will resume a regular day.”
Ames and Levine declined to provide additional details.