Waynesburg follows bomb threat protocol
No incidents or suspicious activities were reported Thursday at Waynesburg High School while administrators followed protocol after finding a bomb threat Wednesday.
“(Thursday) went as well as to be expected,” district Superintendent Brian Uplinger said.
The district contacted state police Wednesday after a note was found in a girl’s bathroom in the high school that gave specific details into a possible bomb threat at the school for the following two days.
State and borough police agreed action needed to be taken as soon as school let out Wednesday.
The doors were locked and all activities were canceled for the evening. A K-9 unit from Pittsburgh swept the entire school and found nothing suspicious.
The doors were opened once again at 7 a.m. Thursday and special restrictions were enforced. No backpacks or large purses were allowed inside the building.
Uplinger said attendance was normal at the high school Thursday and the couple of students who did bring their bags had them checked and confiscated.
Uplinger also spoke to all of the high school’s students at the beginning of the day to let them know what was going on.
“We made sure the students were aware that this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated,” Uplinger said. “When the perpetrator or perpetrators are caught, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent which will include expulsion.”
As of Thursday evening, the investigation into the bomb threat was still underway.
Both local and state police are investigating.
“The same thing that happened (Thursday) will happen (today),” Uplinger said.
No backpacks or large purses will be allowed in the school for the rest of the week.
A full day of school is scheduled for students today.
Thursday was planned to be a half day for in-service before the bomb threat was found.
Uplinger said bomb threats are very infrequent in the district, but they plan on addressing issues behind situations like these with their anti-bullying program Olweus.