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WCS Evacuate All Schools In Response To A Bomb Threat Tuesday Morning, All Students and Personnel ‘Safe’

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Watauga High School students and personnel evacuated to the football stadium after the bomb threat on Tuesday morning. Photo by Ken Ketchie

Update: All schools have been inspected and classes resumed for all by at least 10:20 a.m., according to Watauga County Schools. 

While the schools have been closed and re-opened, the Boone Police Department has assigned investigators to “track down” who made the call, Sgt. Shane Robbins said, adding that he couldn’t give out any specifics as to what avenues the investigators are taking.

“Because it could tip somebody off or help them further hide their identity,” Robbins said.

By Jesse Wood

Aug. 27, 2013. Students and personnel of Watauga County Schools were evacuated from all the schools Tuesday morning in response to a bomb threat received by the Boone Police Department. 

WCS spokesman Marshall Ashcraft said that Watauga County 911 Communications received an anonymous bomb threat for all the schools “in the vicinity” of 8 a.m. However, Sgt. Shane Robbins with the Boone Police Department said his agency received a “non-specific threat stating there was a bomb inside a Watauga County School” at about 7:30 a.m.

“After a brief conversation with the sheriff’s office, we made the decision to go ahead as a precautionary measure to do evacuations of all the schools – students and personnel,” Ashcraft said.

Currently, law enforcement is inspecting all the school buildings while the students and personnel are in their designated emergency evacuation spots away from any potential danger.

“We expect students and personnel to re-enter school buildings [after inspections] and finish school today,” Ashcraft said, adding that he ask parents to “bear with us.”  

Parents are allowed to pick up their children, but Ashcraft encourages them not to do that and “let the rest of the school day proceed as normally as possible.”

“All children and all personnel are absolutely safe,” Ashcraft said. 

Sgt. Robbins also added that “all the schools have safely evacuated.” 

While the schools have been closed and re-opened, the Boone Police Department has assigned investigators to “track down” who made the call, Robbins said, adding that he couldn’t give out any specifics as to what avenues the investigators are taking. 

“Because it could tip somebody off or help them further hide their identity,” Robbins said.

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