Students at Boulder Elementary School were evacuated Thursday morning following the report of a bomb threat — one of close to a dozen at schools and other entities across the state.
A search of the school consumed most of the afternoon, and residents in the immediate area were advised to shelter in place. At 5:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office reported that the search had been completed, and that no explosives had been found.
The Boulder Elementary students were taken to nearby Jefferson High School, according to school officials and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, which helped coordinate the evacuation. Parents were instructed to pick up their children at the school’s south gymnasium.
The Sheriff’s Office said it requested an explosive detection dog from the Montana Highway Patrol. By mid-afternoon, the dog and its handler were at the school. “The process is time consuming due to the size of the facility,” said Sheriff’s communications officer Doug Dodge. “It is anticipated that it will be in progress for most of the rest of the afternoon.”
City residents were instructed via a CodeRed reverse emergency notification to avoid the area of the school. Similar messages were disseminated through social media channels, county FM radio and the school’s parental notification system.
Jefferson High was on lockdown until 1:30 p.m., according to Superintendent Erik Wilkerson, although classes continued as scheduled. Students were dismissed on schedule, he said.
The press release from Sheriff Tom Grimsrud stated that this threat received by Boulder Elementary was similar in nature to others received today across the state.
Public schools in Alberton and Browning said they also had received threats Thursday morning, and the Missoulian reported similar episodes at schools in Flathead and Yellowstone Counties, as well as at a Missoula synagogue and the Butte-Silver Bow Archives.
News reports indicate that at least 70 schools across Maine also received bomb threats via emails Thursday morning. Multiple schools in southern Idaho were the targets of threats Wednesday; schools in Oregon reportedly received threats on Monday.
Boulder Elementary said it will notify parents regarding Friday’s plan for school.
