HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Students who were in a high school when it went on a hard lockdown after guns were found on campus say they liked how the school responded to the emergency.
But some parents say they were left in the dark about what was going on.
Union Grove High school in Henry County went on the hard lockdown Wednesday.
Senior Alex Mcelhannon says it was a frightening experience.
“So, it’s really crazy. We were just in school and the whole thing went into lockdown,” he told Channel 2’s Tom Jones on Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 p.m.
Initially, he had no idea what was going on. Then he learned the school found two guns on campus.
“It’s really scary, but at the same time it was - I liked how our school was able to handle it very effectively,” he said.
Not everyone feels that way.
“This was horrible. They locked the whole school down. For like hours. And then they didn’t even notify anybody about what was even really even going on,” parent Linda Winston said.
She said she had to get updates via text from her daughter.
Her daughter, Kayla Winston, says her teacher locked both doors to her classroom. That’s when she knew something was amiss.
“I was pretty afraid. I had a panic attack,” she said.
Henry County Schools says a school administrator received an anonymous tip about possible firearms on campus. School resource officers then located two guns.
Officers arrested two students. They face firearm related offenses.
Two other students were also charged but released to their parents.
Students say what made it even more confusing was their classmates started sharing information that wasn’t true.
“It went from two guns to four guns to being about drugs,” one student said.
Linda Winston says guns on campuses are a major issue that needs to be addressed.
“And they should have metal detectors in every single high school,” she said.
The school system called this a serious violation of the code of conduct.
A spokesperson said the superintendent would be sending an audio message to students and families about the dangers of guns and how they have no place on school campuses.
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