Snoqualmie Middle School students and staff were evacuated after the discovery of the message “A bomb will explode at 2pm” in a school bathroom on March 4. The school called 911, and several law enforcement agencies responded with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Six-grader Cameron Crowe said students stood outside the school for an hour and a half before being escorted to Mount Si High School’s gym, where they waited for parents to pick them up or for buses to take them home. The school district contacted SMS parents through the district’s emergency phone message system.

The school district released the following statement following the incident:

Threat a Hoax at Snoqualmie Middle School

Snoqualmie, Wash. –Police have confirmed that the bomb threat today at Snoqualmie Middle School was a hoax. After a thorough police investigation, they confirmed the campus is safe for students and staff to return. School will resume on its regular schedule tomorrow, March 5. Meanwhile, all SMS after-school activities were cancelled this afternoon, March 4.

To recap the events that took place, a message was found this morning on a container in one of the bathroom stalls at SMS. The message stated “A bomb will explode at 2pm.” The school responded by calling 911 and immediately evacuating students and staff while law enforcement checked the facilities. Students were escorted to nearby Mount Si High School’s gymnasium.

Parents were notified by a call-out system, website posting, calls from their students and staff, and letters sent home. Student were kept safe in the gym until the end of the day, or until a parent picked them up. The school district’s food services department provided emergency lunches to all the students.

SMS Principal Ruth Moen expressed appreciation for the quick response and patience of SMS parents. It served as a good reminder for parents to make sure the school has their appropriate emergency contact information. She added, “The staff did a great job implementing our emergency plan. It is just unfortunate that nearly 600 students and staff were inconvenienced by the actions of an individual. In the coming days, we plan to reinforce care and responsibility for our school community and each other.”