A bow hunter on property near Mountain Road Elementary had the school's administrative team activating a "Code Red" alert that diverted buses to an area high school, locked down the school and brought police to the scene.
At 6:50 a.m. the administrative staff responded to the sighting of a man believed to be carrying a weapon near the school After diverting the buses that were en route to the school, the staff worked with the Cherokee County School District's Police Department, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the school district's Transportation Department and the Office of School Operations.
"We were able to assess the situation in a relatively quick manner and determine there was no threat to the safety of our students and staff – in this case, the situation stemmed from an individual bow hunting on a property near the school," a later from Mountain Road Elementary School Principal Tammy Sandell said.
Copies of that letter were being sent home with every student in the school today.
Students and staff soon returned to normal activities, and by 7:30 a.m. all buses had dropped the remaining students off at the school
"Our teachers and staff are to be commended on the excellent job they did ensuring the safety of our students today, as our local school Safety and Security Plan was effectively implemented in this situation," Principal Sandell said in her letter to parents.
(A copy of Principal Sandell's letter is included with this story.)
