Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct. 25, 2024 – Westside Schools were placed on lockdown Friday in response to a threat to a different Northeast Arkansas School.
According to multiple posts from the Westside School District Facebook, the district was “taking precautions to secure all campuses due to a threat made to a Northeast Arkansas School, and not Westside specifically.” It was not clear which school received a threat. Parents were not allowed to enter campus.
At 12:35 p.m., the district said it was on lockdown and that Craighead County officers were on scene securing the campuses. At 12:50 p.m., the schools transitioned to a soft lockdown, meaning students could be checked out or have bathroom/lunch breaks.
“All campuses are secure, and no one is in danger,” the post read.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
UPDATE:
According to a news release from Westside Consolidated School District, the district received a call from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office of a possible threat to a school district around 11:55 a.m. It was not immediately clear which district received the threat.
The sheriff’s office is working on identifying the suspect and their location. Campuses were cleared of anyone who “should not be on campus.”
“At this time, we have no credible threats to our campus, but we will continue to remain on alert for the remainder of the day. As always, the safety and security of Warrior Nation will always be our number one priority,” the news release said.
UPDATE:
Westside Consolidated School District said in a news release that the threat to the district this morning came from an unknown person calling a veteran hotline. In the phone call, the person said he had a gun and was going to kids and then himself.
“During the course of the afternoon, this person has now threatened eight schools in eight different states. We are unsure exactly where he is, but it is unlikely this person is even in Arkansas,” the release said.