On August 27th, 2024, School Recourse Officers with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office began to investigate the circumstances surrounding a report of a possible school threat verbally made by a student at Cookeville High School immediately upon learning of the report to school administrators.

Circumstances of this nature are always taken very seriously to ensure safety. Initially, when such an incident is reported all facts are not known to school administrators and law enforcement investigators. Upon learning of such a report, taking action to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and others is the top priority. Prompt action is required.

As the incident is fully investigated, all the facts and circumstances are determined and the full nature of the situation is evaluated.

For the protection of students, teachers, and others, the student was initially charged with a violation of Tennessee code annotation 39-16-517 which makes it illegal to make threats of mass violence on school property based upon what was known at the time. After a complete review of the circumstances involving this incident, the facts did not support the elements of this offense.

The incident occurred during a class session where the teacher was presenting a lesson on internal and external conflict. When the class was asked the question “How can the two boys resolve their conflict”, a student in the classroom commented that “I have a gun in my backpack”. While this statement is clearly inappropriate, the classroom teacher and the other students in the class perceived the statement as if the student was joking. The classroom teacher took the student outside the classroom and questioned the student, where he admitted to the teacher that he was joking. It was later confirmed that there was no gun in the child’s backpack nor on School property.

When the situation was discussed with another teacher in the building, that teacher made the report to the school administration that there may be a potential threat.

The charge had to be dismissed when the case came to court. The facts and circumstances do not fit the definition of the criminal offense of making a threat of mass violence on school property. With that said, any statement alleging that a gun is present on school grounds is inappropriate and will be investigated thoroughly. All safety precautions must be taken on the front end.