Recent threats to Houston County schools were hoaxes, police say

School lockdowns and the incidents tied to them have increased in Houston County this fiscal year, with authorities attributing the most recent events to hoax calls.

From early April 10 to May 4, at least six Houston County public schools were placed under code yellow and red lockdowns for varying circumstances, including reported bomb and gun threats.

No suspects have been identified at this time, but police are continuing to investigate the calls, Houston County Sheriff Matt Moulton said Thursday.

The most recent incident occurred May 4 at Warner Robins High School, where a bomb threat prompted a lockdown and law enforcement response, according to the Houston County Sheriff’s office. Authorities said the case remains active.

Moulton said the threats at Perry, Northside and Warner Robins high schools all appear to have been hoaxes.

“It was determined to be a hoax that originated from an unknown number with multiple VPNs used to avoid detection from law enforcement,” Moulton told The Telegraph on April 20 about the telephoned gun threat at Perry High School. “There have been no suspects identified at this time.”

On April 29, lockdowns were issued at three schools — David Perdue Elementary, David Perdue Primary and Houston County High schools — after a person escaped from Middle Flint Behavioral Health Center, which is located near the campuses, Moulton said.

The person was apprehended shortly after the safety precaution, he said.

Houston County seeing both increased lockdowns, safety protocol

The Houston County School District reported an increase in lockdown-related responses over the past two years, while emphasizing that many incidents were precautionary and not tied to direct threats on campuses.

During fiscal year 2025, the district said two code red lockdowns were issued following two incidents and 27 code yellow lockdowns connected to nine incidents. So far in fiscal year 2026, the district reported one code red lockdown linked to one incident and 38 code yellow lockdowns related to 21 incidents.

The Houston County School District said it understands parents’ concerns and remains committed to responding quickly and with caution whenever potential safety issues arise.

“It is important to understand that not all lockdown-related protocols stem from threats to a school building. Most Code Yellow situations are precautionary measures related to activity occurring in the surrounding community,” the district said, citing examples such as officers serving a warrant or responding to an incident in the area.

District officials said school safety procedures have evolved in recent years with a stronger focus on prevention, rapid response and coordination with emergency personnel. Leaders also pointed to an expanded use of the Centegix CrisisAlert system, a campus safety notification platform officials say allows staff to report concerns more quickly.

“These (recent) situations have shown that our school district and law enforcement agencies are committed to student safety and continuous improvement,” the district said. “With each incident, we evaluate our response, we strengthen procedures, and we become even more prepared.”

Parent wants to know more about lockdown incidents

Despite police assurances that several threats were unfounded, some parents told The Telegraph that the repeated incidents have created fear and uncertainty.

Crystal Robbins, mother of a 5-year-old at Parkwood Elementary School, said she no longer believes any child is safe in school after the wave of lockdowns and threats have rattled campuses across the district.

While her daughter’s school has not had any recent lockdowns, Robbins said frequent school shootings nationwide and shootings in her neighborhood have left her fearful.

“It makes me pissed off and concerned. I’m trying to keep my kids safe,” Robbins told The Telegraph. “Kids are bringing weapons to school. I don’t think any kid, teacher, principal, or anyone is safe.”

Robbins said she is grateful for officers’ quick response to these incidents, but she also wants authorities and the district to do more to identify those behind the calls and keep parents more informed about updates on the incidents.

“I would like more investigations. Not just, ‘Oh, the threat was made through the phone, and everyone’s safe,’” Robbins said. “Whether it was a hoax or not, (police) have ways of tracking where a call came from.”

The district said some of its schools have faced robocall threats and “swatting” incidents this year as part of what officials described as “mass hoax threats” targeting schools nationwide.

Other Middle Georgia schools, including Mercer University and Stratford Academy, have reported similar hoaxes in the past year, including a bomb threat called into Stratford and a reported “active threat” at Mercer that the FBI reviewed for possible ties to the broader nationwide swatting pattern, as previously reported by The Telegraph.

“Every threat is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly in coordination with law enforcement, even when they are ultimately determined to be non-credible,” the district said.