False threats lead to concerns, arrests in multiple Middle TN school districts

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — School districts across Middle Tennessee have dealt with potential threats this week that ended up being non-credible. However, at least four minors have been arrested for their roles in spreading these threats.

A recent report by News 2 found that a Tennessee law that made school threats a zero-tolerance offense has led to a surge in expulsions.

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Nevertheless, law enforcement and/or school officials in the multiple districts around Middle Tennessee have addressed threats just this week:

Cannon County

Around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, Cannon County Schools said it became aware of a possible online threat against Cannon County High School. The administration worked closely with the Cannon County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security to investigate the threat, which was deemed non-credible.

“Currently, there are several social media posts circulating in our state regarding school threats. We encourage students and parents to report credible information directly to local law enforcement or through SafeTN.com,” the district said in a statement. “We also ask parents to remind their students to be mindful of creating and sharing false information that may create disruption in the school setting. It’s important to note that any language or behavior that is found to threaten our schools will not be tolerated, and those found making threats will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to school officials, Cannon County High will be open on Friday, Sept. 13. In addition, Thursday night’s football game will proceed as scheduled.

Franklin County

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it investigated multiple social media posts about threats to schools, but those threats “were unsubstantiated, originated in other states, and never mentioned our schools.”

Authorities assured the community there are no credible threats of violence targeting any Franklin County schools. However, the sheriff’s office will continue to investigate all reports of threats or perceived threats to schools.

Humphreys County

According to the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office , there have been concerns of mass violence against Humphreys County Schools. Law enforcement and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security thoroughly investigated the concerns and determined them to be completely unfounded.

Officials said the call originated from Camden County, Georgia, adding that the threat had nothing to do with Humphreys County’s school system.

“There are currently no credible threats against any Humphreys County school. This type of hoax threat is becoming very common across the country and all are investigated and traced back to their origin. With that said, the school district and law enforcement will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook Thursday morning.

Macon County

The Macon County Sheriff’s Office took to Facebook twice this week to address potential school threats.

On Monday, Sept. 9 , the sheriff’s office wrote, “We have been made aware of a post on social media going around making threats to schools. This is not from Tennessee. However, out of an abundance of caution. We along with the Macon County School District will be taking precautions. The list of schools on the post is part of a list from Georgia that shows their title 1 schools that receive federal grant money.”

Macon County School District also addressed the threat in a Monday morning statement:

This morning, the Macon County Sheriff’s Office received a Facebook screenshot of a list of schools and school ID numbers that have been targeted. Our county was represented on the list. After checking, the schools are located in Georgia, and the state ID numbers match the Georgia schools as well. The sheriff’s office is still investigating and we will be operating on a “soft lockdown” until we are given the “all-clear”. This means that visitation to the schools is for personnel only and outdoor activities such as recess or PE class will occur inside. There will also be additional police patrols at the schools. Scheduled meetings (IEP, 504, disciplinary, or attendance) can still occur but attendees will be searched and the SRO will maintain a close proximity to the meeting.

Please accept our apologies as we know any disruption creates undue stress and work for both you and your children, but the safety of our students and staff remains our top priority.

Then, early Thursday morning , authorities announced that Macon County deputies and detectives, along with officers from the Lafayette Police Department, had been working all night on a potential school safety threat circulating on social media. Law enforcement determined the threat originated out of Illinois on Tuesday, Sept. 10, with the FBI investigating further.

Even though there is no credible threat to Macon County Schools, officials said they identified a local juvenile suspect, who now has pending charges and is banned from school.

“The juvenile was reposting a threat from Illinois. However, a few words were changed to make it seem like the threat was local,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The Macon County School District also wrote about the latest false threat Thursday morning , saying the school system was made aware of a Facebook post about a threat against one or more local schools.

“For that reason, all schools will be on a ‘soft lockdown’ today while the authorities complete their investigation. This means that outside visitors are prohibited, PE and recess will be indoors, and your child might notice extra patrols by law enforcement,” school officials said. “The safety of our students and staff remain our top priority. We apologize for any inconvenience or stress this may cause you or your child.”

The school system said it is set to be on its regular schedule Friday.

Nashville

Two eighth graders from separate Nashville schools were arrested on the same day for making school threats, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).

A Madison Middle School student reportedly made multiple threats to several local schools on social media. Authorities said the 13-year-old was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with making threats of violence against schools and false reporting of a threat.

A couple hours later, MNPD announced the Rapid School Safety Team responded to H.G. Hill Middle School after another eighth grader threatened the school. The 13-year-old allegedly admitted to making the verbal threat, so he has been charged with making threats of violence against schools and false reporting of a threat.

“Threats against schools, special events and businesses are taken very seriously by the MNPD. Those responsible, once identified, will be prosecuted,” the department wrote in statements about both arrests.

Tullahoma

The Tullahoma Police Department said it learned about a possible threat made on social media against East Middle School Thursday morning.

Not only did the investigation determine the threat was not towards any school in the Tullahoma School System, but the threat was also made to another school in a different county, according to officials. Police have passed all information to the law enforcement agency in the county that was the target of the threat.

Warren County

On Thursday afternoon, District Attorney General Chris Stanford with the 31st Judicial District announced that a Warren County student who was arrested and detained for making threats of mass violence approximately three weeks ago is still in custody.

Stanford said this was the second mass violence threat made this school year, adding that the other minor is no longer enrolled in Warren County Schools. However, evidence revealed that neither juvenile had the means or a plan to execute any incident of mass violence.

As of July 1, 2024, any threat of mass violence on or against a school, whether that threat is made recklessly (jokingly) or not, is a Class E felony in the State of Tennessee. It also carries the likelihood of the juvenile offender being placed in juvenile detention or State’s custody, serving a lengthy sentence of probation, loss of driving privileges for one (1) year, and educational consequences as deemed appropriate by the Warren County School System. In addition, these juvenile offenders and/or their parents are often stuck with thousands of dollars in detention costs, court costs, attorney fees and fines that they owe immediately.

Now, in our second year of prosecuting these cases, it is clear that Juvenile Court Judge, Ryan J. Moore, shares law enforcement’s mission to treat these threats of mass violence against schools very seriously. Our local legal system remains committed to ensuring that our children have the best educational environment within which to learn, while also working tirelessly to maintain the highest level of safety in our children’s schools. In fact, agents with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security are working closely with our local investigators and detectives to track down every possible threat of violence against our students or school system.

However, we have a significant and emerging problem. Currently, several other students in our school system and in neighboring counties have taken great effort to spread rumors about threats of mass violence of which they have no first-hand knowledge. This effort has resulted in hysteria running rampant throughout our community. This hysteria does not appear to be based on any current factual or evidentiary basis. Rather, the investigation revealed that these are simply old rumors of threats of mass violence that are being recirculated, for various reasons, by students on social media platforms, primarily Snapchat. Please realize that through the legal process we are able to see everything your children post to Snapchat and other social media outlets. Thus, be aware that we are watching closely.

Again, law enforcement is not aware of any current threat against any student in Warren County. Despite this current situation, we continue to urge any student, teacher, administrator or parent of a student in the Warren County School System who witnessed, heard, or has other first-hand knowledge of any threat of violence towards our students or schools to report the same to law enforcement officials immediately. We cannot conduct any investigation without your information coming to us in the first place. We urge you to continue helping us in our efforts to root out delinquent minors who spread fear and terror with their threats of mass violence. Also, you may be able to provide a tip that saves countless lives in the event of a credible threat of mass violence. Please help us keep our community safe!

However, please also consider advising your children that knowingly spreading false rumors of which your children have no personal knowledge, may result in legal consequences for your child. It is not our desire to charge children with crimes of this nature. However, we must all work together to make sure this unfounded hysteria does not continue. If the hysteria is left unchecked, our law enforcement investigative efforts will continue to be hampered by the work wasted investigating these rampant false rumors. Thus, please consider working with law enforcement directly to curb this issue so your family is not adversely affected.

Finally, Chief Mosley, Sheriff Matheny, and I want to thank the dedicated men and women that work in our schools to protect our children every day. Your vigilance will continue to help us identify and neutralize potential threats to school safety. Please join us in praying for the safety of our schools and a much more positive school year going forward. Thank you

Chris Stanford, District Attorney General for the 31st Judicial District

Wilson County

On Thursday morning, a Wilson County Schools spokesperson told News 2 there had been five threats of violence in the past 24 hours.

For example, on Wednesday morning , the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Juliet Police Department, and Wilson County Schools launched an investigation into an anonymous tip about a generalized threat circulating on Snapchat , sparking a message from the administration to Mt. Juliet Middle School families about actions being taken as kids started to arrive at school, including a “soft lockdown,” officials said.

Due to the short time between when the tip came in and when school began, the sheriff’s office said there was an increased presence of Mt. Juliet police officers and school resource officers, along with K-9 Zander and K-9 Zena, to make sure students and staff arrived safely.

Authorities reportedly determined the threat circulating on Snapchat came from Knox County and was not directed towards Mt. Juliet Middle.

Then, on Wednesday evening , the district shared a message with the families and staff members at Mt. Juliet Middle and Green Hill High School about a social media post currently under investigation by the sheriff’s office.

Law enforcement said an eighth grade student from Mt. Juliet Middle had been taken into custody and will be charged with a Class E felony. The girl allegedly posted a TikTok about how a school threat made everyone panic and how she could make it happen, tagging Mt. Juliet Middle and Green Hill High in the post.

This social media post, similar to a Snapchat threat that originated from another county, has caused significant concern. In this instance, the same image circulated on a different platform, which prompted further investigation by our team.

Whether a threat is real or a hoax, we are fully committed to investigating every case and holding those responsible accountable. These threats disrupt the lives of students, educators, and families, and we will continue to work diligently to protect our schools and community from harm.

We urge parents to have serious conversations with their children regarding the consequences of making school threats or sharing harmful content. Law enforcement, prosecutors, and school officials are not treating these issues lightly. A comment or social media post made as a joke can lead to suspension, expulsion, or far more severe consequences.

With Tennessee’s new laws addressing school threats, we want to make it clear that these situations will be handled with the seriousness they deserve by law enforcement and school officials. Please emphasize to your children that even a thoughtless remark can result in losing a year of school, separation from their families, and the potential loss of driving privileges for up to a year.

Our priority remains the safety and well-being of all students and staff. We appreciate the cooperation of our community in these efforts.

Wilson County Sheriff’s Office

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Wilson County Schools posted a video Thursday afternoon to discuss the district’s and the sheriff’s office’s response to school threats.

In that video, officials revealed Barry Tatum Academy also had to be evacuated Thursday morning due to a bomb threat that was called in. The sheriff’s office brought in K-9s to sweep the whole building. The all clear was given about 45 minutes later, according to the principal.

No additional details have been released about any of the incidents listed above.

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