UPDATE (2:14 p.m.) According to Bonney Lake police, a student admitted to writing a bomb threat so he would not have to take a test for which he was unprepared. He was released to his parents after an emergency expulsion and the case was forwarded to the juvenile prosecutor for possible felony charges.
The incident began at 7:30 a.m. when a note was found indicating a bomb would go off at 12:30 p.m. Police searched the building with negative results.
UPDATE (11:22 a.m.):
Bonney Lake Police has completed their search of the building as part of bomb threat investigation — no suspicious items were found. Law enforcement officers and a bomb dog searched all common areas and all classrooms as a precaution. Police have authorized students and staff to return to classroom.
Lunch is now being served and students are resuming the regular school day schedule. School will be dismissed on the regular schedule.
ORIGINAL STORY:
For the second time in a week, a Bonney Lake school has been placed under lockdown due to a bomb threat.
According to a notice on the Sumner School District website, Mountain View Middle School is currently under modified lockdown as a precaution while Bonney Lake Police Department investigate a written threat. A bomb dog is at the school. All students and staff are reportedly safe.
The modified lockdown is similar to a lockdown, but allows more movement within the building. Students may continue to work at their desks with lights on. They may go to the restroom.
No one, however, may enter or leave the building—staff, students or parents.
School will not be dismissed early, however — parents may pick up students at the parent-child reunion located in the gym. Students will only be released to parents/guardians or adults listed as an emergency contact. PLEASE BE PREPARED TO SHOW PHOTO ID.
From time to time, local law enforcement agencies alert our schools to potential risks that require the school to implement a precautionary safety protocol known as a lockdown.
In a lockdown, exterior and interior doors are locked. Students are told to stay away from windows and keep low. Curtains or blinds are closed. Lights are off. Only quiet talking is allowed. Students who are outside at recess or in a PE class come back into the building. Signs are posted on doors instructing anyone who tries to get inside the building to leave the school premises immediately. Staff has been trained to take the situation very seriously, with an assumption that an intruder could actually be in the building.
The modified lockdown is similar to a lockdown, but allows more movement within the building. Students may continue to work at their desks with lights on. They may go to the restroom.
Earlier this week, Bonney Lake High School was dismissed early when a note containing a bomb threat was found. No explosives were found during a search and no one was injured.
