MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - Murfreesboro Police and Rutherford County Sherriff's deputies spent much of Friday responding to unrelated school safety scares — all of which ended with no confirmed threat but plenty of shaken nerves.
One of the calls was about Blackfox Elementary School, where someone reported an armed student on campus. Officers rushed to the scene and immediately placed the school on lockdown as a precaution. Classrooms were secured, hallways cleared and police swept the building. After a thorough search, officers found no weapon and no threat. The lockdown was lifted and students returned to normal schedules.
A short time later, officers were called to the area of Glaze Court and Tremont Drive after a report of shots fired. While that investigation unfolded, nearby Discovery School and Bradley Academy were placed on a temporary lockout — meaning no one could enter the buildings until police cleared the area. One person was detained, and the case remains under investigation.
The fourth school was Campus School on the MTSU campus. That facility briefly went into lockdown Friday after a “shots fired” call was reported, prompting law enforcement to secure the building out of caution. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed there was no threat to the school or the campus community, and the building was reopened. Officials emphasized that the alert was issued strictly as a precaution while they investigated.
While Friday’s incidents were unrelated, they reflect a growing national trend: schools are facing more threat calls, more lockdowns and more false alarms than ever before.
Across the country, hoax calls — especially those involving claims of active shooters — have surged. The FBI has documented thousands of “swatting” incidents since launching a national tracking center in 2023. At the start of the 2025–26 school year alone, roughly 50 college campuses were hit with false threats within weeks. K–12 schools have seen the same pattern, with calls coming in by phone, email, social media and anonymous apps.
Experts say several forces are driving the increase. Organized online swatting networks now share scripts and tactics, making it easier to launch coordinated hoaxes. Real acts of violence often trigger waves of copycat threats. Some students make false reports to disrupt class, retaliate against peers or seek attention. And with modern technology — VPNs, spoofed numbers, encrypted messaging — callers can hide their identities more easily than ever.
In a climate where real school shootings remain a constant fear, police and administrators must treat every report as credible. That’s exactly what happened Friday in Murfreesboro — and why even false alarms can bring an entire school day to a halt.
