Local Districts Part of State-Wide Bomb Threat Hoax

Two area schools were part of what officials called a “state-wide” bomb threat hoax on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, districts across the state, including Claysburg-Kimmel, and Spring Cove, received a bomb threat email prompting police response. Other area schools, including Hollidaysburg, Altoona, and Belwood-Antis also received the threat.

Claysburg-Kimmel posted a message to their social media account that although the bomb threat had been identified as a hoax, it elected to evacuate all its buildings so law enforcement could do a safety sweep as an extra precaution.

The Blair County Sheriff’s Office utilized its explosives detecting K9 officer Rik to sweep the buildings. Once the buildings were cleared, students resumed their regular school day.

The Spring Cove School District sent an email to parents notifying them that law enforcement had advised them not to evacuate the schools. In the message to parents, Spring Cove Superintendent Dr. Betsy Baker said the district had been on “high alert” prior to receiving the bomb threat hoax email and that all buildings had been proactively swept.

“All students and staff are safe,” Baker said.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), making a bomb threat over social media or email is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in federal prison. The perpetrator of a hoax could also face state and local charges.

The FBI said it takes each threat seriously and investigates and “fully analyze” each threat to determine its credibility.

On its official website, the FBI details the ramifications of sending a bomb threat hoax and how it affects both the sender and the recipients.

“Hoax threats disrupt school, waste limited law enforcement resources, and responding to hoax threats diverts officers and costs taxpayers. The threats can also cause severe emotional distress to students, school personnel, and parents,” the FBI writes.

The FBI said what may start out as someone trying to play a joke can ruin a young life.

“Hoax threats are not a joke, and they can have devastating consequences – both for the public and the perpetrators. With a thoughtless remark on social media, young people risk starting out their adult lives in prison and forever being labeled a felon.”

Schools have been an increasing target of threats with almost 6,000 school threats across the country reported to the FBI in 2022, a 60 percent increase over 2021.