2 employees at Edwards Middle School in Rockdale County arrested
Paul Schwartz and Paul Schwartz Jr.
ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. - Two men who work at Edwards Middle School were arrested on Wednesday, according to Rockdale County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office says that during an "unannounced random security check," they observed suspicious behavior by a staff member and a contracted staff member of the middle school.
Deputies then discovered that the staff member, Paul Schwartz, was in possession of two razor blade knives. He was charged with two counts of bringing a weapon on school grounds.
Additionally, Paul Schwartz Jr., a contracted staff members, was charged with making threats.
The two men are father and son.
FOX 5 Atlanta was told on Wednesday that there was a temporary lockdown at the school, but there was no active threat at the time. At the time, they did not release any details about the cause of the lockdown.
Schools around the metro Atlanta area and throughout the state have been on alert since a mass shooting that killed 4 people at Apalachee High School last week. A 14-year-old student was arrested for the shooting and his father was arrested for buying a gun for his son.
NEW: What Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray did before shots fired
There have been numerous threats at various schools since the mass shooting and multiple students and others have been arrested.
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Paul Schwartz is listed as a 6th grade math teacher on the school's website. It is not known what position Paul Schwartz Jr. holds at the school.
It is not known at this time if this incident is related in any way to fears of another shooting.
The sheriff's office says that the safety of the students at the middle school is a priority.
Rockdale County Public Schools informed FOX 5 Atlanta on Thursday afternoon that neither man are still employed at the school. They sent the following statement.
Good afternoon, we wanted to let you know:
Paul Schwartz is no longer an employee of Rockdale County Public Schools. His dates of employment are as follows: Substitute Teacher January 2015-November 2023, Math Teacher at EMS December 2023-September 2024.
Contractor Paul Schwartz, Jr. is no longer affiliated with RCPS.
The safety, security, and well-being of our students, families, and staff continues as our top priority. We will always take threats of any kind seriously and take all necessary precautions. We continue to encourage our students, families, and staff to See or Hear Something, Say Something. We are thankful for our local law enforcement partners, our school resource officer, and our school safety division who responded quickly and stayed to conduct a thorough investigation.