SOUTH HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Students at the Michael E. Smith Middle School in South Hadley were evacuated Friday morning due to a bomb threat and it turns out Friday’s incident was the second threat the school received this week. The students moved across the street, to Mosier Elementary School, out of an abundance of caution.
Western Mass News obtained an email sent to parents on Wednesday that read, in part, that at approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, “a custodian discovered a message on the wall of the boys bathroom indicating a bomb had been placed within the middle school…” The email went on to say that “South Hadley Police were immediately called and the building evacuated. At 7:10 p.m. the building was cleared.”
Fast forward to around 8 a.m. Friday when another threat was found written inside one of the boys bathroom at the same middle school. Michael E. Smith Middle School and Mosier Elementary School were evacuated and, due to the ongoing situation, the decision was made to send the middle school students home for the day, while the elementary school students were allowed to finish out the school day. After a sweep, South Hadley Police confirmed that they did not find anything suspicious and deemed the building safe.
South Hadley Public Schools Interim Superintendent Mark McLaughlin shared that he is feeling very concerned and disappointed about what happened.
“We will work closely with police to determine what, if any, additional actions need to be taken once we determine who the individual is or individuals are that made this threat,” McLaughlin noted.
He explained the procedure for calling school early for the day, saying, “We sent a message to parents indicating that we would have an early dismissal so a half day that would count lunch would be served and in the meantime if parents wanted to pick up their children they could do so.”
We also spoke with a woman who rushed over to grab her grandchildren after their parents were notified about the threat.
She told us the kids were, “A little worried, a little scared, that’s why I’m picking them up, because the nurse called and said one of them was very nervous.”
McLaughlin shared how thankful he is for the community being so understanding during such a stressful situation, stating, “I think parents were very gracious today. We’re all in this together.”
And in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, he had this message:
“I want to particularly appreciate the teachers who worked s hard today to assist in a smooth and safe dealing with evacuation of our middle school students just grateful for a good community.”
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