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‘Our children’s lives are at stake here:’ MSCS Board member in response to school threats and lockdowns

MSCS sent notifications to families just after 11:30 a.m., and more than 5,000 people made comments or interacted with posts about MSCS hours later.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three students have been detained as investigations continue into reports of threats at multiple Memphis-area schools on Wednesday, according to Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins and the Memphis Police Department (MPD) Chief CJ Davis. Many parents and officials said the response from MSCS is not enough.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said Wednesday afternoon that lockdowns had been lifted at Memphis-areas schools following reports of online threats across the area. 

"When you tell one lie, you then add another lie on top of that lie. These lies make them a liability because our children's lives are at stake here," said MSCS board member Towanna Murphy. Murphy says she did not trust the responses at Wednesday's MSCS press conference.

"The parents are afraid," she continued. "They're scared. They don't want to send their child to school. I'm a parent and have a child in MSCS schools; as a parent, I'm on alert. We should have been notified as soon as possible, and we're not getting that communication. It's not communicated to us. "

Murphy's sentiments echo that of many parents she spoke with, some of those who told us that they were scared for their children's lives. 

"It is scary. It's mind-blowing like it's just you don't think that it can happen to you," Chelsea Lefay, the parent of a Southwind student, said. "You don't think that it can happen here. You see it so much everywhere, you see it's so much, and now that it is happening, it's like we be stuck, we don't know what to do."

The SCSO said that at about 7:20 a.m., someone contacted Southwind High School, making the threats, and the school was placed on lockdown. ABC24 crews at the school found several SCSO cars there.

Social media posts shared by Southwind parents and students online showed a post with a picture of a gun with a threat to shoot up the school. SCSO said deputies were investigating. 

At about 10:00 a.m., someone contacted MSCS and made threats against Ridgeway High School. The school was also placed on lockdown, and deputies were investigating. SCSO says MPD assisted deputies during the investigations. 

A person at the office of Craigmont High School said their school was also placed on lockdown after someone made a shooting threat on social media. The person said no one was allowed into the building, but parents were able to pick up their students.

A person in the office at Germantown High School told ABC24 they were also on lockdown. 

Three students have been detained at this time from Whitehaven High, according to Dr. Feagins and Police Chief CJ Davis. 

"They're being questioned right now, and we had enough information that actually linked us to those individuals," she said. "I will say, as I have this opportunity, that I applaud the school system for collaborating and uniting law enforcement quickly."

MSCS sent notifications to families just after 11:30 a.m. Over 5,000 people have made comments about MSCS or interacted with posts about MSCS over the last several hours on Facebook, and many of the parents we spoke with and who are online are enraged over the timing of that notification. Some parents said the schools did not contact them about these threats or the lockdown involving their children. 

Dr. Feagins says that she understands this disappointment. "We understand the heightened anxiety, we understand the uncertainty," she said. "We certainly understand that you want to ensure that your children, that your child is safe, as do we."

Murphy also said that she and other board members have approached Dr. Feagins concerned about these late notifications. More than 50 after-school events were cancelled Wednesday, but MSCS says plans are for school to resume as usual on Thursday. 

Dr. Feagins shared a statement early Thursday morning. 

"We look forward to seeing our students today. State and federal law enforcement are actively monitoring any information reported about school threats. We increased officer presence to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We will keep you updated if new information is received" 

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