Authorities confirmed Antioch High School, Glencliff High School, and Apollo Middle School were placed on lockout following online threats Wednesday morning.
Officials said the lockout Wednesday was in response to a threat allegedly posted through social media.
Media friends: Antioch HS is on lockOUT, not lockdown. School goes on as normal inside. Outside doors are locked, limited traffic in & out.
— Metro Schools (@MetroSchools) September 28, 2016
According to Glenwood junior Brianna Astorga, the threat started with an Instagram post from an anonymous account posing as a clown.
The post said, "Attention all Glencliff and Antioch students be aware anyone outside of Glencliff between 9am to 10am at Glencliff will be taken care of and anyone outside of at the time of 11am to 12pm at antioch will be taken care of."
The post went on to say, "Call the police if you want, we will take care of them too and do not put your teachers in danger by notifying them."
The Nashville Metro School District sent out automated calls and texts to parents to notify them of added security measures put in place as a precaution at the schools. Police officers tracked who entered and exited the buildings throughout the day. At Glencliff, classes in portable classrooms were moved inside.
Astorga also said clown accounts on social media had sent her friends messages threatening to kidnap her.
"She asked where they would take her," Astorga said. "They said where all clowns take little kids, they'd take her to a quiet place and make her scream."
Astorga's mother, Tennille Bell, took her home from school early Wednesday, and said several other parents did the same. She hoped school officials will ramp up security until the threat has been fully resolved.
"Communicate with us," Bell said. "I don't even know if I'm going to take my child to school tomorrow. Her safety comes first."
