Whitman Middle School and two other Seattle schools had a scare today when someone called in a bomb threat, which police say was a hoax.
Whitman received the call around 12:30pm on Friday, and went into lockdown mode, Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tim Robinson told My Ballard. When police arrived and determined it was a hoax, the school downgraded to a “shelter in place”, which basically means an abundance of caution, rather than an imminent threat. Students are allowed to roam the building and attend classes without opening perimeter doors.
Robinson said the other schools that received hoax threats include Eckstein Middle School and Jane Addams Middle School.
According to a school email sent to parents, the number was traced to New York, and is believed to be an electronic calling system used to send prank calls.
Seattle Police say they’re currently investigating the source of the calls. We’ll update with any new information.