KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE (1/26.): The Knox County Sheriff's Office said three Gibbs Middle School students were arrested for making fake reports of an active shooter at Halls Middle School on Thursday. All three are facing charges, including one felony charge.
Knox County Schools said it had counselors available Friday to help students and staff after the scare.
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The Knox County Sheriff's Office said a 911 call reporting a possible shooter inside Halls Middle School on Thursday was a hoax.
Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk held a press conference early Thursday afternoon regarding the incident. He said Halls High School, Halls Middle School and Halls Elementary School were all put into lockdown after officials received the 911 call.
Rysewyk said the time between when the call was placed and when the building was deemed cleared was 46 minutes. He emphasized how "real" the incident felt, despite it being a hoax.
"For us, this was real—what we got was potential for a threat of some pretty serious harm," Rysewyk said. "So, that was real to all of us until we were all here and confirmed that the sheriff's department cleared [the building]."
KCS Chief of School Security Jason Periard said school resource officers were present at Halls Middle School and there were about 13 officers at the school within 20 minutes.
Students were dismissed early after consideration of their emotional well-being, according to Rysewyk.
"There are a lot of things being said in the first 10 to 15 minutes. We need to verify and tell the truth," Rysewyk said regarding a question about the speed at which parents were informed and what goes into the process of informing them. "As a parent, I understand the need of wanting to know right now, but we also need to make sure that safety is handled first and that we're ready to give accurate information."
Although no information was released regarding who made the hoax call, Periard emphasized the consequences of the incident.
"It's a crime. If you do things like this—you will go to jail." Periard said. "It's a terroristic threat."
You can watch the press conference below.
This story is ongoing and we will update you as we learn more.