COVINGTON, Ga. — A telephone call to Newton High School led to a lockdown and an increased presence of law enforcement on Tuesday.

The Newton County School System said the call, received shortly after 9 a.m., “was a cause of concern” for administrators at the school. The school then went on lockdown and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office came in to investigate.

Sgt. Michael Cunningham described it as a “soft lockdown.”

“The Sheriff’s Office took the threat seriously and it’s under investigation,” he said. “We’re trying to substantiate the threat.”

Cunningham said he couldn’t characterize the threat, but said he understands it was directed toward the school.

Parents were notified by a school system messaging system when the school went on lockdown, and will receive another message when the lockdown is lifted.

Publisher David Clemons and staff writer Darryl Welch contributed to this report.