YORK COUNTY, Pa.– UPDATE: The suspect accused of making a bomb threat which forced a full evacuation of all Eastern York School District schools Friday has been arrested, Wrightsville Borough Police Officer-in-Charge Adam Schaum confirmed to FOX43.
Previously: A bomb threat at Eastern York School District has forced a district wide evacuation.
The school district posted this message on their Facebook page:
EYSD received an Anonymous tip sent to our safe school hotline indicating that there is a bomb in one of our buildings Because the alert did not indicate a specific building, we are evacuating students from all 5 schools as a precaution
Please stay alert for more information about a probable early student dismissal from the various evacuation sites.
School administrators elaborated further in an email sent to FOX43 News that the district received a text message stating, ‘there is a bomb in the school,’ The message was sent to the anonymous safe schools hotline. Administrators immediately responded and because the name of the school was not identified in the tip, all students and staff were evacuated and emergency personnel were contacted.
Out of abundance of caution, district officials say students will be dismissed from their evacuation sites. Students who normally ride the bus home will be transported at the following times:
- Eastern York High School and Eastern York Middle School students will be dismissed from the EYHS Stadium field at 11:30AM
- Canadochly Elementary School students will be dismissed from Canadochly Valley Abundance Center at 12:30PM
- Wrightsville Elementary students will be dismissed from the Assembly of God church at 12:30PM
- Kreutz Creek Elementary students will be dismissed from Valley View Alliance Church at 12:30PM
Parents who normally pickup their child will be able to pick them up at the above listed evacuation sites at the following times:
- Eastern York High School and Eastern York Middle School at 11:45AM
- Canadochly Elementary School students at 12:45PM
- Wrightsville Elementary students at 12:45PM
- Kreutz Creek Elemntary students at 12:45PM
School district superintendent Dr. Darla Pianowski issued the following letter to parents and guardians:
Dear Eastern York School District Families,
Regrettably, Eastern York School District students were forced to evacuate the buildings this morning because a tip was texted to our anonymous safeschools hotline stating that a bomb was in the school. Because the name of the school wasn’t identified in the tip, all students and staff were evacuated and emergency personnel were contacted. After an extensive search involving several police departments, trained K9 units, school officials, and other local emergency responders, the buildings were declared to be safe and our local law enforcement is currently investigating leads to identify the suspect.
Hoaxes such as this have a serious impact on the entire community. What seems to be a new trend with our youth making false threats is sobering and disturbing. When a bomb threat is first discovered, school administrators and police do not attempt to determine whether it is a hoax or the real thing. Therefore, when a bomb threat is found, it is always taken seriously and students are evacuated immediately. A bomb threat is treated as genuine until investigated and until a search of the school has been completed. One obvious result of immediate evacuation is the disruptive effect on the school community. We are asking community members not to sensationalize these pranks on social media. Elevated awareness and attention generate the possibility of more pranks.
Protecting our children and each other is a responsibility requiring everyone’s cooperation. We are asking school personnel and students to be alert and observant throughout each day and report any signs of problems to school administrators. Parents can help by reporting concerns about a student or adult who may pose a threat to law enforcement and school officials. With the collective efforts of parents, educators, and law enforcement personnel, we hope to find a way to intervene early and deter students from making these false threats.
Sincerely,
Dr. Darla Pianowski
Eastern York School District