Rutherford County Schools, Blackman High School administrators and the Sheriff's Office have responded immediately to a report of a gun being on the school's campus Friday afternoon.

A direct message is currently under way from the school district to all Blackman High School parents to keep them informed of the situation.

A parent and a student reported this morning that another Blackman student had a handgun on campus Friday afternoon. The situation was not reported to the school until this morning, but the school administration was able to identity the student quickly once it was reported.

The student has been removed and law enforcement is investigating further. However, there is no report of a gun being on campus today.

"If the allegation proves to be true, the student will face criminal charges and will not be permitted to return to any Rutherford County school under the district's Zero Tolerance policy," Director of Schools Don Odom said.

Capt. Barry Hendrixson, who supervises the School Resource Officer Division, said SROs learned of the report Monday morning.

"We are actively investigating the allegation," Capt. Hendrixson said.

School district officials commended the parent and student for sharing the information.

"We want to thank the student and parent who reported this situation for being vigilant and notifying the school administration," Community Relations Coordinator James Evans said. "We are sharing this information with all Blackman High School parents and our media partners to address rumors before they begin."

Because there is an ongoing criminal investigation, the school district cannot release any additional information at this time, Evans said.

"However, we want parents to know that our first priority is to maintain safe learning environments for all students, and the situation was resolved quickly," Evans said. "We will continue to keep parents informed with any additional pertinent information. Thank you for your support and understanding as we move forward."