CAIRO — Cairo High School was locked down once again Monday afternoon after school officials received a threatening phone call from an unidentified individual.

Superintendent Kermit Gilliard said the individual who made the phone call is not believed to be a student based on the sound of their voice, but said no determination has been made as to their identity.

School resource officers and law enforcement were activated and surrounded the perimeter of the campus after the threat was made.

Investigators began tracing the phone number from which the call originated in order to identify the individual who made the threat.

Gilliard said he was not at liberty to describe the nature of the threatening message nor in a position to determine its validity.

“We have to take them all seriously until we can prove otherwise,” he said.

The superintendent said he and Principal Chris Lokey, who were at a meeting out of town at the time, were informed of the situation at approximately 1 p.m.

CHS released students at their regular time with law enforcement present to ensure their safety.

“We were releasing students as if it were raining,” Gilliard said. “The bus students exited one hallway and loaded buses and the car pickup students were released from the front office.”

All after-school activities scheduled for Monday were canceled upon the recommendation of law enforcement.

“We regret it, but we are following the recommendations of law enforcement and will continue to make safety our number one focus,” Gilliard said.

A similar lockdown occurred last week at CHS when a student allegedly made a threatening post on social media Tuesday. 

Gilliard said Monday’s threat appeared to be unrelated to last week’s incident based on what was stated in the phone call.

“It’s still too early to know, although it’s not thought to be (related),” he said.

Lokey said disciplinary action will be taken against the student who made last week’s threat, who is also potentially facing legal repercussions.