Two more bomb threats reported at AG
Two bomb threats at separate buildings in the Albert Gallatin Area School District Monday emptied one school for a couple of hours and the other for the entire day. The third bomb threat in three weeks cancelled classes at the senior high school in York Run and another bomb threat caused evacuation at A.G. North Middle School in Masontown.
State police said a male called the Fayette County 911 emergency dispatch center Sunday at 7:29 p.m. and said he heard a bomb was going to go off at 8 a.m. Monday at the high school.
“The administration, district security and state police responded. We brought in additional security officers of the district for a thorough search of the grounds,” said Superintendent Walter Vicinelly.
He said the group concluded the search Sunday night but made the decision to close the school since search dogs were not immediately available.
He said a search by the dogs eventually found that the building was clear and safe.
At 8:40 a.m. Monday, Vicinelly said school officials at A.G. North called the central administration office to report that several notes were found in the school that stated a bomb was placed in the school. Administrators, school district security and state police again responded. Masontown police also responded along with firefighters from the Masontown and Ronco departments. Students were evacuated and sent to the Masontown Volunteer Fire Department hall located near the school.
Vicinelly said a search dog was still in the area and able to join in a thorough search of the building that again showed it was clear and safe. He said students returned to the building around 10:30 a.m. and classes resumed.
“I have to emphasize, as always, student safety is our top priority, but we are also looking at these threats as serious actions people are taking and are doing everything we can to find out who’s responsible,” Vicinelly said.
“We’re going to do everything we can to bring these threats and interruptions of the educational process to an end.”
A 16-year-old ninth-grade girl was accused of writing a bomb threat that police said someone found March 19 around 9:15 a.m. inside the girls bathroom in hallway A of the high school’s second floor. “There is a bomb in the building” was the written message found at the high school.
The school was evacuated, searched with negative results and the students returned to classes.
State police said the girl admitted to writing the threat and they planned to file charges against her with Fayette County juvenile authorities.
Vicinelly declined to give details on the school district’s response to the girl except that district officials will follow through with steps outlined in the discipline policy.
“Our intention is to follow through with the maximum punishment that’s allowed. That’s what our intention is for every case,” he said.
A week before, on March 12, students were sent home after someone found a bomb threat message hanging on the wall inside the high school’s stair tower C, at 7:30 a.m.
Vicinelly said school officials are working in collaboration with law enforcement to identify the person or persons responsible for all of the incidents.