Murfreesboro, TN – A reported threat at Riverdale High School on Wednesday morning was determined to be false after a rapid law enforcement investigation, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
According to sheriff’s officials, dispatchers received a call threatening Riverdale High School shortly after 8:21 a.m. Wednesday, even as School Resource Officers (SROs) were already on campus. As a precaution, Riverdale’s administration immediately placed the school on lockdown while authorities investigated the threat.
Investigators later determined the call did not originate from within the United States, a sheriff’s supervisor said. Officials also confirmed a similar threat call was made Tuesday to another middle Tennessee school, suggesting a possible pattern targeting multiple campuses.
Rutherford County Schools reported that once the threat was confirmed to be unfounded, normal school operations resumed at Riverdale High School.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including four SRO supervisors, Rutherford County patrol deputies, Murfreesboro Police, Homeland Security officers, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The coordinated response launched immediately after the threat was received.
“The response was immediate,” said Sheriff’s School Resource Officer Captain Barry Hendrixson. “There was good cooperation with all the agencies involved.”
Officials emphasized that while the threat was false, every reported school threat is treated as credible until proven otherwise, citing student and staff safety as the top priority. The investigation into the origin of the calls remains ongoing.
Parents and residents in Rutherford County are encouraged to report suspicious activity and rely on official school and law enforcement updates during emergency situations.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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