Classrooms across Atlanta went quiet Wednesday morning as multiple high schools shifted into lockdown after threats phoned in to administrators, sending police and K-9 units onto at least one campus while officers searched for a suspect near another.
According to WSB-TV, Atlanta Public Schools confirmed that at least three schools were placed on lockdown, and the district said students and teachers were safe in their classrooms. The exact number of schools affected is not fully settled: WSB-TV reported at least three APS schools were placed on lockdown over a potential threat, with phone threats against North Atlanta and Midtown and security concerns in Carver's surrounding community, while Atlanta News First reported that at least four Atlanta-area schools — North Atlanta High School, Carver High School, Midtown High School and Marist School — were on lockdown Wednesday morning.
North Atlanta High Searched by K-9 Units
At North Atlanta High School, Principal Angela Mitchell said an anonymous threat triggered a hard lockdown, and the same report from Atlanta News First notes that Atlanta police and K-9 units swept the campus before the lockdown was lifted. The district separately said threats had been made against North Atlanta High and Midtown High by phone, per WSB-TV. North Atlanta High also asked parents not to come to the school and not to call their student or the front office, according to the same account.
Carver High School's situation played out differently. Atlanta Public Schools said the school was locked down due to security concerns in the surrounding community, rather than a direct threat against the campus.
Midtown and Marist Also Affected
Midtown High School was placed on full lockdown because of a phoned-in threat, with the district saying nobody could get in or out of the building, Atlanta News First reported. Marist School, a private campus, said separately that it was on lockdown due to a threatening phone call, according to the outlet.
Wednesday's wave of lockdowns is not the first time North Atlanta High or Midtown High have faced phoned-in threats. In February 2019, Atlanta Public Schools Police investigated an anonymous telephone threat against North Atlanta High School, conducting a sweep of the campus and adding officers while the investigation continued, according to 11Alive. And in April 2024, a false threat called into Atlanta police led Midtown High to lock down for about 30 minutes, with nearby Morningside Elementary and Kindezi School in Old Fourth Ward also placed on interior lockdowns while officers searched the building, as reported by Rough Draft Atlanta.
As of Wednesday morning, the ultimate outcome of the ongoing police search and the current status of every affected school's lockdown had not been confirmed in available reporting. Channel 2 Action News said it would provide the latest update at noon, according to WSB-TV.
