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[11:56 a.m. Update] On Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, at about 10 a.m., there was a report of three unidentified individuals in Winder-Barrow High School. The School Resource Officer approached the individuals, and they fled the building. The school immediately went into lockdown. There was no sign of weapons.
In addition, Russell Middle and Winder Elementary subsequently went into lockdown out of precaution since their campuses are located near the high school.
Both the Barrow County Sheriff's Office and Winder Police Department immediately responded to the situation. As of 11:15 a.m., all the schools were cleared by law enforcement.
All students and staff are safe. Normal school classes and activities resumed shortly after the incident.
[2:15 p.m. Update] We wanted to follow up with more information on the lockdown situation involving WBHS, RMS, and WES on August 3. Shortly after 10 a.m., there was a report of three unidentified individuals in Winder-Barrow High School. The School Resource Officer approached the individuals, and they fled the building. There were no signs of weapons on the individuals. The school immediately went into lockdown. Out of precaution, Russell Middle and Winder Elementary also went into lockdown.
During a typical school day, exterior building doors are locked to restrict access into the school. After reviewing surveillance camera footage, other students appear to have opened an exterior door for the three individuals. The students involved will have consequences following the BCSS Code of Conduct.
We know that situations like this are extremely stressful for families when they don’t know what is happening. Our team works as quickly as possible to verify information so we can correctly respond and notify families. Students in the building can text updates (sometimes with incorrect information) faster than we can communicate to parents. It is essential that we have correct facts before we reach out to families with news.
As soon as we had verified information today, we alerted families with an email and Remind message sent by 11 a.m. Shortly after, lockdowns at each school were cleared and normal school activity resumed. This update was also shared with families by 11:15 a.m.
The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. In emergency situations, we do everything possible to ensure their safety first. Thank you to our School Resource Officers, school leaders, crisis team, and law enforcement for reacting swiftly.
[Aug. 4 - 2 p.m. Update] See updates from the Barrow County Sheriff's Department about this ongoing investigation.