Two 14-year-old male students were charged with felony terroristic threats due to their involvement in a bomb threat that put Allen High School on a lockdown around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, authorities said.
Allentown police, fire and EMS responded and performed a search of the campus, during which no bombs or other explosive material were found. The school underwent a 90-minute evacuation.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to a police statement.
A similar incident resulted in charges against a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old two days ago when threats led to lockdowns at Allen High School and Raub Middle School, and the high school was pushed to early dismissal Sept. 29 due to another bomb threat.
Incidents earlier in the month affected Allen High School and Trexler Middle School.
Bomb threats are a Level 4 infraction under the district’s student handbook, punishable by “long-term out-of-school suspension, alternative educational placement, or expulsion.”
“We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their swift response, to our staff and students for following established safety procedures, and to our families for their patience and understanding, but we want to make it clear that these kinds of threats are absolutely unacceptable,” Chief Operations Officer Robert Whartenby said in a district statement sent Thursday afternoon. “We ask families to recognize the magnitude of these actions and to remind their children that any threat of violence is taken seriously. Every false report diverts critical public safety resources and disrupts learning for thousands of students.”
The district statement also encouraged students, staff and community members to use the Safe2Say Something tip line at 1-844-SAF2SAY or www.safe2saypa.org to report safety concerns.
