Photo by Kyle Parmley.
On Monday approximately 12:45 p.m, there was a report of a potential threat at Chelsea High School.
According to an email sent out on Listserv to parents at 1:33 p.m., Chelsea High School was on lockdown for approximately 30 minutes. The school immediately followed safety protocols and the school went into a lockdown until the safety of all students, faculty and staff could be determined. Currently, normal activities have resumed and the school is back on the bell schedule.
Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said it was identified that a student admitted to making the call, and "will be charged as a juvenile and will have discipline from the school as well," he said.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office sent out a press release later Monday afternoon stating the School Resource Deputy was on the scene at the time of the possible threat, and other Sheriff’s Office personnel quickly responded to assist.
After an investigation, it was revealed that a student had reported false information that created the concern for the safety of the students. Deputies have the student in custody and plan to file charges in juvenile court for Falsely Reporting to Law Enforcement.
“The Sheriff’s Office takes the safety and security of our Shelby County Schools seriously," said Samaniego. "I am thankful for the partnerships that we have with Chelsea High School and the Shelby County Board of Education. Through these partnerships, we were able to quickly assess the potential threat and locate the person involved in creating the false alarm.”
Chelsea High School Principal Brandon Turner sent out a follow up Listserv email to parents around 3:30 p.m. Monday. It read:
"The Shelby County Sheriff's Department received a call today that described a potential threat at the high school and subsequently notified the CHHS administration. Upon hearing this, we were able to execute our appropriate lockdown protocols to ensure student safety while we properly investigated the nature and origin of the call. Thankfully, we determined that the threat was not valid and we were able to resume normal operations in a reasonable time frame. While occurrences such as these can be stressful, we appreciate the quick response from our faculty, staff, students, and our partners at the Shelby County Sheriff's Department that allowed us to address the situation in the serious manner dictated by the circumstances. Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we remain committed to ensuring the safety of all students and employees."
