All Fayette County schools were requested to lock their doors and provide additional staffing in the halls, bus entrances, lunch rooms, playgrounds and athletic fields Friday and during the coming week in an effort to deter possible "disruptive actions" and "reassure students and parents and make them feel safer."

The directives came from School Superintendent Dr. John DeCotis and were sent to all school principals in the district, following a week of rumored threats, rumored hit lists and significant absences at several schools.

"To the best of my knowledge, there have been no additional threats, but there have been a lot of rumors," DeCotis said Friday. He said the upgraded security procedures went into effect in order to avoid any chance of disturbance. "We continue to take all threats and rumors seriously," he added.

DeCotis said the existence of a rumored hit list originating at Sandy Creek High School has not been substantiated. "We heard it was posted on AOL (America Online) several days ago and our computer specialists have tried to pursue it, but have been unable to locate one," he said.

Absences at Fayette County High School were running 25 to 30 percent Friday, considerably more than the typical 9 percent on an average school day. While some of the absences could be attributed to anxiety over the rash of rumors threatening school violence, a number of seniors were absent as part of a college visitation day already scheduled.

In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, the week in Fayetteville started with the discovery of a note taped to a bathroom mirror at Fayette County High School, "Beware of the trenchcoat Mafia."

This threat, coupled with an earlier Monday warning, and reports of a "hit list" posted on the Internet, worried some parents and students, prompting school administrators to call in backup from the Fayetteville Police Department Thursday.

Fayette County High School Principal Gary Phillips confirmed that rumors were rampant. "We have increased police presence, and administrators are following every lead and every rumor. We just can't get a particular name or face connected to any of this," he said. "I think they are saying these things in groups to see what the emotional reaction will be."

As of Thursday, the reaction has been increased student absences and uneasiness among teachers. Parents have clogged phone lines at the high school and the Fayette County Board of Education, concerned about their children's safety. Phillips said he has addressed the student and teacher body three times, informing them of actions being taken. "I think this is a safe school," he said.

About a dozen parents volunteered to patrol the halls on Thursday and Friday, along with administrators who posted themselves strategically around the 260,000 square foot building. Phillips said he did not order a lock-down, because of the sheer numbers of doors at the facility and the need for students to leave the building for classes. However, bathrooms were locked during class time and reopened during class changes. Similar procedures were repeated Friday.

Threats made last week resulted in the arrests of two 16-year-old Fayette County High students Wednesday night, Phillips said. The students were initially suspended from school for one week, and then arrested by Fayetteville police and charged with making terrorist threats. They were held in the Juvenile Detention Center in Griffin until their hearing, which was scheduled for Friday afternoon. They allegedly told students that if they thought the bombs were big in Colorado, they didn't need to be in school this past Monday.

Phillips sent home a six-point letter with students Thursday to dispel some of the rumors, and sort out the misinformation that has been circulating.

Other county schools were taking additional safety measures Thursday with Fayetteville Elementary, Fayetteville Primary and Sandy Creek High locking exterior doors.

Flat Rock Middle School took their security a step further, advising teachers to lock their classroom doors and lock exterior school doors in response to a phone call received in the morning.

According to Principal Eddie Pollard, a student identifying himself as a Sandy Creek student threatened that Sandy Creek High and Flat Rock would be attacked by guns and bombs. "We alerted the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and let the teachers know the code," Pollard said.