GRAINGER COUNTY, Tenn. — A 29-year-old man was arrested for trespassing on Tuesday after riding on a bus with school children and walking into Grainger High School.
The Grainger County Sheriff's Department said that a man, now known to be Juan Purkey, was standing on the side of the road with papers and a binder on Tuesday.
That's when a bus driver in Grainger County thought he was a student and picked him up.
"It was the most unique situation we have ever seen," said Dr. James Atkins, the superintendent of schools in Grainger County.
Purkey rode that bus to Bean Station Elementary School, where high school students usually transfer to a different bus before heading to Grainger High School.
Purkey transferred with them, walking onto Bus 34.
Atkin said a substitute driver was driving it who was unfamiliar with the students. The driver let Purkey on and took him to high school.
"It is not uncommon for the substitute not to know any of the students," Atkins said.
According to school officials, when the bus got to Grainger High School, Purkey unloaded with the rest of the students and proceeded to walk into the building. He was later brought to the office and arrested.
"The school needs to somehow beef up security at all the schools," said Loretta Tenney, a grandmother to three girls enrolled in Grainger County Schools. "They need to have a way of identifying who's a student and who's not."
Around 8 a.m., Purkey was halted by a teacher who brought him into the front office, police said. That's when leaders called police and placed the school on a soft lockdown.
However, this was not the first time Purkey came onto the school property.
Police were also called to Grainger High School on August 2 to draw Purkey away from the property.
According to the Grainger County Sheriff's Department, they warned Purkey that if he came onto the property again he would be charged with criminal trespassing.
Then, Purkey returned just eight days later.
However, parents were not notified of the lockdown nor the intrusion until 24 hours after the incident.
"I got really angry and upset at that very moment," Tenney said, "I just went straight to the social media, as an angry grandma. I've been known as a lot of grandmas .... but the angry one was the topic of the day. It's what my children will not forget."
Tenney took to Facebook. She encouraged other frustrated parents and guardians to write notes to the school superintendent.
In an email from Mandi Sims, a mother of two kids enrolled in Grainger County Schools, she said, "I recently enrolled my kiddos back to Grainger County Schools from homeschool and I am already regretting my decision."
After a lot of turmoil online, the school sent out a text message to parents.
The text came more than 24 hours after the intrusion.
Officials said that school personnel followed all safety protocols in their emergency operation plan.
James Atkins, the director of GCS, also said that the safety team will be meeting to discuss additional security protocols.
That meeting will be held on Monday night.
At the moment, the school is considering child-identification methods like school badges or 4-digit lunch codes.