Hixson High School locked down as a safety precaution Thursday morning, as administrators investigated an incident from earlier in the week. With the conclusion of the investigation today, Hamilton County Schools released details to newsChannel9.com late friday.
On Thursday morning, a parent called the school with a tip that there was a gun on a school bus Tuesday afternoon. To facilitate the investigation into the allegation, administrators put the school into a modified lockdown, allowing the educational process to continue in the classrooms but limiting student mobility and information exchanges.
"The best security we can have is to have parents and students work with us to keep our schools safe," Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales said, adding that the faster schools receive information, the faster they can work for an effective resolution. "When we get information about an issue, we can act quickly and move to make sure that all of our students remain safe. That is what happened here."
The school investigation concluded Thursday afternoon with two students admitting to exchanging a gun on the bus on Tuesday. Both students were immediately suspended pending the outcome of a Zero Tolerance hearing for possession of a weapon.
The matter was turned over to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office for further action Thursday afternoon. Sheriff's deputies conducted an investigation but found the information inconclusive Friday. No students were arrested and no charges will be filed at this time.