Students return to Achille schools after two day shut down

Achille schools reopened Wednesday morning after shutting down for the past two days.

A 7th grade transgender girl used the girl's restroom on the first day last week and that led to threats online.

Parents and teachers we spoke with said it was an overall great day at school with no problems.

Their hope was that this uproar would settle down, and it did.

They say Achille is moving forward and the students are excited to be back.

"It was just like a normal day," special education teacher Annesia Ross said.

Her grandkids attend school there.

While the story has divided people online it seems to have had the opposite effect on campus.

"It was actually a wonderful thing to see everybody coming together and protecting," Achille Police Chief Rusty Cannon said.

The threats online were targeted at one transgender 7th grade girl.

Some calling for her to be beaten up, another threatening her with a knife, all because she used the girl's bathroom.

"We're not to discriminate or make them feel bad about themselves or who they are," Ross said.

She said a few of the parents who made comments online were part of the district, but most were from other areas.

"We hated to let out the last couple of days, but anytime law enforcement requests that, that's what we're gonna do," said Achille superintendent Rick Beene.

The Bryan County Sheriff's Office and Achille police and fire departments all had a presence on campus.

"Protection's the whole thing. That's all...you get one threat, you never know. So you want to take the precautions," Cannon said.

Beene said even though they hit a bump in the road, the community rallied together as a team.

"Let's make sure every kid's safe. Let's give every kid a chance to go to the restroom and be comfortable in that process," Beene said.

"If somebody knows that there's something wrong or somebody's child needs something, everybody works together," Ross said.

The child's mother filed a protective order against one parent but no arrests have been made.