MCB Quantico -- The students evacuated from Quantico Middle/High School due to a bomb threat socialized and played on the field of Russell Elementary School, across the street, but the school’s staff was stern.
The threat, “I am going to blow up the school,” scrawled in marker on the side of a urinal in one of the male restrooms, was reported at about 10:45 a.m., June 6, 2013. It was suspected to be a prank but was treated seriously by school officials and Marine Corps police officers.
“I have to err on the side of safety,” said middle/high school Principal Michael Johnson. “Any time I see a bomb note, I’m going to evacuate the school.”
A canine unit from the Provost Marshal’s Office swept the school without finding any explosives, and students were allowed back in after about an hour and a half, to prepare to go home. School had been scheduled to let out at noon.
Seniors had already finished their school year, and it was the second-to-last day of classes for the rest of the school.
It was also the first of two days of exams, and Johnson said it may be necessary to extend the following school day to allow students to finish their testing.
“This is going to carry some very serious consequences if we find out who it was,” he said, calling the incident “a zero-tolerance offense.”
— Writer: mdicicco@quanticosentryonline.com