CULPEPER, Va. – All eight schools in a rural Virginia district, as well as private schools and childcare centers in surrounding areas were shut down Oct. 5 due to a bomb threat.
According to authorities, an individual called the evening before and threatened to blow up schools. During his lengthy conversation, however, the caller did not specify which facilities were his intended targets.
Police, with the assistance of bomb-sniffing dogs, bomb squads and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, conducted a sweep of the schools for explosives and other potential threats.
Due to the recent attacks in Bailey, Colo., and Nickel Mines, Pa., police and school officials decided to cancel classes. The cancellation affected approximately 7,200 public school students, as well as pupils attending religious schools and daycare centers.
The individual who made the threats has yet to be identified.