Custodian dies inside DeKalb County high school

LITHONIA, Ga. - The death of a DeKalb County high school employee caused about 1,600 students to be rerouted to other schools Thursday morning. 

Police were called to Martin Luther King, Jr. High School on Snapfinger Road around 5 a.m. after a custodian died in the building Wednesday night, according to DeKalb County Schools. Surveillance video revealed the custodian, who worked the night shift, collapsed in the school's cafeteria between 10 and 11 p.m.  

At first, authorities weren't sure if foul play was involved, so they put an emergency plan in place. That included relocating students and staff to other schools as police investigated the scene. 

Students told FOX 5's Marc Teichner they were brought into the auditorium and then they were bussed to the other schools. Freshmen and sophomores were taken to Arabia Mountain High School on Browns Mill Road in Lithonia and juniors and seniors went to Southwest DeKalb High on Kelley Chapel Road in Decatur. 

Grief counselors are in place at those schools. 

At the end of the school day, students will return to MLK High for dismissal. Parents can pick them up there, or the kids can ride their normal bus home. 

Classes are expected to be back to normal on Friday, but parents should wait to hear from the district.