Three schools sharing a single stretch of Blaze Drive in Murfreesboro went into precautionary lockdown Tuesday after the high school received a threatening phone call, sending law enforcement scrambling to secure the campuses while parents were kept away from the scene.
Blackman Elementary, Blackman Middle and Blackman High School were all placed on lockdown after the threat came into the high school, according to WSMV. A Rutherford County Schools spokesperson said “the scene is secure and students are safe” as the investigation got underway. The same spokesperson added that the call initially appeared to be what's known as a swatting call — a fake threat — but stressed that “we always take them seriously until we have all the facts.”
Parents Barred From Campuses, Sent to Nearby Church
With law enforcement working to lock down all three schools, parents were told they could not check students out or step onto any of the campuses while the situation played out, the outlet reported. Instead, families were directed to a reunification point at Murfreesboro Missionary Baptist Church, located at 316 Fortress Boulevard. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office echoed that guidance in a Facebook post, writing that Blackman schools were on lockdown while deputies investigated the reported threat and asking parents not to go to the schools or the immediate scene, but instead to proceed to the designated reunification area for further instructions.
The sheriff's office also asked the broader public to steer clear of the area while the investigation continued, posting, “Law enforcement is actively investigating. Please avoid the area at this time.” The three Blackman campuses sit next door to one another on Blaze Drive, meaning the lockdown effectively blanketed an entire corridor of students ranging from elementary age through high school.
Echoes of Earlier Rutherford County Scares
Tuesday's lockdown is the latest in a string of threat-driven school closures across Rutherford County this year. In January, Riverdale High School was placed under a precautionary hold while investigators looked into a possible threat, and authorities later determined that phone call was false, per WSMV's earlier reporting. In March, officers responding to reports of shots fired near Glaze Court and Tremont Drive prompted a temporary lockout at Discovery School and Bradley Academy as a precaution, the station also reported.
A more direct parallel came in May, when phone threats triggered lockdowns at LaVergne High, Smyrna High and Holloway High School on the same morning. Officials later said none of the threats were credible and lifted all three lockdowns, according to WGNS Radio. That outlet reported authorities believed the May incidents might be tied to a broader nationwide pattern of swatting — fake emergency calls meant to trigger a heavy police response. Whether Tuesday's call at Blackman fits that same pattern has not been confirmed, and the investigation into the reported threat was still active as of Tuesday afternoon.
