Sitka High School students were evacuated outside Wednesday after staff learned of a bomb threat. Police found no threats inside and said in a press release the threat was a hoax. (KCAW photo/Karla James)
UPDATE 4:56 PM (1/23/2019):
In a press release, Sitka School District Superintendent Mary Wegner said the Sitka Police Department traced the call back to a Jamaican phone number that “has been used in other scams and extortion attempts.”
PUBLISHED 2:45 PM (1/23/2019):
A bomb threat at Sitka High School late Wednesday morning turned out to be a hoax. According to the Sitka School District, the building was evacuated immediately after staff received the threat at 11:30 a.m. The police and fire departments responded shortly after and ensured the gymnasium was safe. Superintendent Mary Wegner visited the school to assess the situation.
“When I entered the building, the students were still outside, and inside the building, before it was clear, were the police, fire, troopers, first responders and they were in the building making sure it was clear for staff and students,” Wegner said. “I just really want to thank them for their heroic efforts.”
Students then waited in the gym while authorities searched the rest of the building. However, no threat was found. Police are calling the threat a hoax and are investigating. Students remained calm throughout the incident, Wegner said.
“By the time the students knew what had happened, it had been ruled a hoax,” she said. “So, there wasn’t a period of time where they knew it was a bomb threat and that they didn’t know what was going on for the most part until they came in and received information that it was a hoax.”
Once they determined the building was safe, students were dismissed for lunch and classes resumed at 1:10 p.m.
Wegner asks Sitka High School parents to speak with their children about the hoax today to make sure they feel safe at school. She says counselors and other trained staff are available for students at Sitka High should they need to talk further. You can reach the high school office at 747-3263
