COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A mother forced a lockdown at Green Acres Elementary School last Wednesday after refusing to leave, police told Channel 2 Action News.
The woman, identified as Terri Barrington, said she was fed up with administrators and claimed she had a meeting with the assistant principal. After it wrapped, she said she wanted to check on her daughter.
“I told him I wanted to walk to the classroom to make sure my daughter made it to class and on time,” Barrington said.
Police said Barrington forced administrators to call for a partial lockdown at the elementary school.
She spoke with Channel 2's Chris Jose to clear her name.
"Well, I'm a concerned parent of a 5-year-old, and I had questions as to why she was being marked absent," Barrington said.
Barrington said she has had several issues with the school.
After the brief meeting with the assistant principal, the woman was told she could not go to her daughter's classroom.
"I didn't understand why it was an issue. It was still prior to the school day," Barrington said.
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According to an arrest warrant Jose obtained, Barrington walked through the hallways, used profanity while children were present and pounded on the window of a kindergarten classroom, yelling, "I will bust this (expletive) glass."
"No, that's not true. I did not bang on the window. I knocked on the door once," she said.
In the warrant, a school district police officer said the incident "caused all the classrooms in the hallway to be locked down for fear of the safety of staff and students."
Jose has been contacting a district spokeswoman since Tuesday morning. She has yet to respond.
In an email sent to parents on Tuesday, the principal stated:
"A disruptive parent interrupted the school day last Wednesday, and school district officers provided support to ensure all safety protocols were followed."
Barrington turned herself in to the Cobb County Jail on Tuesday night.
Due to the criminal trespassing charge, Barrington is not allowed on campus to visit or pick up her daughter.
She faces charges of terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.
"I'm not understanding how they can throw terroristic threats at me when all I wanted to do was pick up my child and I was denied the right to do that," Barrington said.
Cox Media Group
