An emergency lockdown at two Fulton schools Monday yielded a positive response from law enforcement officials and employees.
"I thought it was really good," district Superindendent Jacque Cowherd said. "Protocols were followed, and teachers knew what they were supposed to be doing."
The lockdown situation began with a phone call Monday where a man threatened middle school officials, according to Maj. Roger Rice of the Fulton Police Department.
"As I understand it, it was basically that he was going to school and he had a gun," he said. "We obviously take these threats seriously, and when the word gun is used, we take it very seriously."
Throughout the day, while the school was on lockdown, Rice said he was pleased with how school administration handled the situation.
"I think everything went very well," he said. "We train teachers and administrators in the building. I think they did an excellent job at informing the kids and keeping them calm."
After determining the suspect was not in the Fulton area, the schools still remained on lockdown but allowed more flexibility to students and teachers, said Cowherd.
"After the police department determined the threat was not in the area, students were able to eat lunch and use the restrooms," he added.
The search for the suspect, however, is ongoing.
"We are still investigating, and we do have a person of interest," Rice said. "We're getting information and talking to witnesses. That's where we're at."
The situation was a continuation of a fight between the father of a student and another female, which happened over the weekend, Rice said.
"There was a domestic violence situation going on between him and another female living here in the city," he added.
The father, who lives in Jefferson City, was on the receiving end of an ex-parte order from the woman.
"The ex-parte order is the order issued before the official court hearing," Rice said. "At the court hearing, the judge can either uphold it and make it official or let it go."
The atmosphere at the schools and the feeling among parents remains tense, Cowherd said.
"We'll get back to normal, but there's still a tenseness," he said. "(We) are sending out a note to parents reinforcing our emergency notification system, which is done through text messaging and e-mail."
According to Cowherd, failure to opt in to the notification system caused some confusion among parents.
"The calls we got were from people who were not part of the system," he said. "Federal law requires that parents opt in for the emergency alert system."
Cowherd said he was happy no one was hurt, and district officials plan to make adjustments based on yesterday's events.
"I was pleased that it was as calm as it was," he added. "Later this week we'll sit down with all the administrators and make revisions like we always do. Hopefully we won't have to use these protocols this year."
Lockdowns like Tuesday's, Cowherd said, are a rare occurrence in the district.
"I don't think we've had more than one a year," he said. "For us, it's been rare."