A lockdown on Lorraine Elementary after a possible bomb threat was lifted shortly after noon Friday after a security sweep found the campus to be clear.
"There was never an actual bomb threat," said Rockdale County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cpl. Michael Camp. "To be on the safe side we treated it like a bomb threat."
Lorraine Elementary and Davis Middle were put on lockdown and the campuses were swept and declared clear as a precautionary measure.
Around 11 a.m., LES Princpal David Ray sent a message to parents saying "Our school is in a precautionary evacuation due to a possible bomb threat to our campus. All of our students are safe and our staff are safe as well. While we do not have evidence of anything confirmed, we must take any and all precautions with regard to safety. We anticipate returning to normal operations shortly. Again, all our students and staff are safe. This is just a precaution."
Friday morning around 8 a.m., a fire alarm went off at the school. There was no fire and no evidence that the alarm was pulled, but it was picture day at the school and heat from the photographer's flash stand might have been a factor is setting off the fire alarm.
While students were being moved from the classrooms, a student whose father works at Rockdale County High School, mentioned to his teacher he had heard talk about a bomb threat.
Last week there had reportedly been writing on a bathroom wall at RCHS before last Friday's rivalry game with Heritage High regarding a bomb threat for the RCHS pep rally. Conyers Police and school staff investigated the matter and swept the RCHS campus and found it to be clear.
Due to the fire alarm suddenly going off, the student reportedly told his teacher about a conversation he had overheard from adults about some sort of bomb threat. Investigators were sent to RCHS to talk with the father and the matter was sorted out.
"We got to the bottom of it pretty quick," said Camp. "Before 10 a.m. we found out there was no actual threat... To be on the safe side we did sweep the schools."
"The safety and security of our students and staff is always our top priority," wrote Rockdale County Public Schools spokesperson Cindy Ball.