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PERKIOMEN — A second bomb threat was emailed to Perkiomen Valley High School Friday, one day after a similar threat resulted in students being sent home early.
The Friday threat, however, did not have the same result. District officials decided against sending students home for the second day in a row.
“The State Police shared that there have been hundreds of these threatening messages generated over the past few days and sent to others. We have learned that personnel in neighboring districts have received the same email threat that select employees at Perkiomen Valley received this morning. We continue to actively collaborate with law enforcement agencies to learn more about the specifics of these incidents and the possibility of criminal intent,” the district wrote in a 1:17 p.m. message to parents.
“In addition to local law enforcement, we are also conferring with the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety and at this point, are not planning an early dismissal. As a result of our efforts to enhance safety measures, you may notice an increased presence of police patrols on our campuses.”
The text of Friday’s threat — which was sent to The Morning Call newspaper and shared with its sister paper, The Mercury and police — had a subject line that read “Bombs have been placed at Perkiomen high school.”
Unlike Thursday’s profanity-laced email, which made reference to the district’s recent vote on a bathroom policy for trans students, Friday’s read simply: “Evacuate Perkiomen valley high school and district offices. Failure to evacuate will result in deaths.”
In its message home to parents, Perkiomen Valley officials wrote: “As mentioned yesterday, while many districts received what are considered “swatting” emails, Perkiomen Valley received an additional email specific to our buildings which prompted conversations with our chief of police, Mr. Miller, law enforcement (both local and state), and with officials from the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety.”
After making the decision to send students home early, “all of our buildings were inspected by law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police conducted a sweep with a K-9 unit at the high school, while other buildings were inspected by Lower Frederick Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, or the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Based on their assessments and feedback, we made the decision to resume typical instruction and activities today,” the district message read.
The message also outlined security and safety measures the district has implemented.
“We remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We will continue to provide updates as they become available and appreciate your partnership during these challenging times,” the message concluded.
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