Lockport High School was evacuated Wednesday morning after school officials received an online bomb threat. Although a search of the school resulted in no explosive device found, the evacuation created tensions for parents and students.
Tara Sheehan, the mother of two Lockport High School students, told WBFO she received a robocall Wednesday morning explaining the situation.
"I called my daughter immediately," she said. "You could hear, I'd say, organized chaos in the background, teachers or whomever yelling 'you guys have to go, keep walking, you have to evacuate.'"
Police closed streets surrounding the high school for several hours and brought in K-9 units which assisted in a sweep of the building. No explosive devices were found but school remained closed for the rest of the day.
Police continued their investigation of the threat.
The Lockport City School District posted the following statement on its internet tip line: "This is a message from the Lockport City School District updating you on the anonymous bomb threat which was received this morning at Lockport High School. Law enforcement conducted a search of Lockport High School using explosive detecting canines with assistance from multiple local and regional law enforcement agencies.
"The school was swept with negative results, meaning no devices were found in the school. The anonymous tip has been turned over to law enforcement for investigation. If you have any information related to this incident, please contact the Lockport Police Department at 433-7700.
"The District takes all threats seriously to ensure the safety of it students and staff and is working cooperatively with law enforcement.
"Lockport High School will resume normal activity on Thursday, November 8, 2018."
Sheehan says her daughter, though scared by the evacuation, told her the emergency was handled well.
"She said she thought it was. The kids didn't know what was going on. They came outside and sort of stood in the yard, then people came to get them away from there," she said. "I think they handled it efficiently and quickly and in a good way."
