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All Meriwether County Schools to release early after lockdown

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
FOX 5 Atlanta
Meriwether County
Updated October 29, 2026 11:22 AM EDT Published October 29, 2026 10:58 AM EDT

The Brief

    • Schools across Meriwether County were placed on lockdown Thursday morning following a reported safety threat, officials said.
    • The Meriwether County School System announced an early release for all campuses starting at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
    • Law enforcement officers are securing campuses and maintaining a presence throughout the early dismissal process.

MERIWETHER COUNTY, Ga. - All Meriwether County schools were placed on lockdown and ordered to release early Thursday as law enforcement agencies investigate a safety threat. 

What we know:

Every campus in the Meriwether County School System was placed on lockdown Thursday after officials received a reported threat. 

The Meriwether County Sheriff's Office and surrounding law enforcement partners immediately secured the schools and increased police presence across the area while actively investigating the situation.

Due to the incident, school officials scheduled an early release for all campuses at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, including Manchester High School and five other facilities. 

The district stated that the lockdown will be lifted as buses and parents arrive for student pickup, with law enforcement remaining on-site throughout the entire dismissal process.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released details regarding the specific nature of the threat or identified who made it. 

Officials have also not stated whether regular school operations will resume on Friday. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Meriwether County Sheriff's Office, which issued a public safety update on the investigation, as well as a social media update from the Meriwether County School System. 

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