Fulton County School officials clarified that a "hard lockdown" was accidentally triggered by a staff member responding to a student fight at Westlake High School in South Fulton on March 13, 2026. (FOX 5 Atlanta)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A hard lockdown was accidentally triggered Friday at Westlake High School as officials rushed to break up a fight.
What we know:
It happened around 1:30 p.m. near the school’s media center. According to a letter sent home to parents and guardians from Principal Miranda Freeman, the hard lockdown button was activated in error by a staff member who was attempting to call for administrative support.
"There were no stabbings or injuries. A knife was found in one student’s bookbag, but it was not used during the incident," Freeman wrote in the letter.
Freeman went on to explain that while the activation was an accident, the response was prompt and according to the "detailed safety plan that we practice regularly" in case of a school safety threat.
School officials say social media reports of an AK-47-style weapon were false.
"Again, all students are safe and without injury," Freeman concluded in the letter.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear what disciplinary action the students involved in the fight will face or if the student found with the knife will be charged.
The Source: The details in this article were provided by the Fulton County School District.