Threatening robocalls lock down multiple schools

Eight Spokane schools were locked down Wednesday after they received robocalls containing bomb threats starting around 2:30 p.m. One elementary school in the Mead School District was evacuated.

The calls were similar to ones received by local schools last fall and threatening robocalls were received across the state and the nation Wednesday, said Spokane Public Schools spokesman Kevin Morrison.

“Homeland Security and law enforcement have determined it is not credible,” Morrison said.

The call to Shiloh Hills Elementary in the Mead School District came late in the day, said executive director of student services Jared Hoadley. The decision was made to evacuate the school and send the children home.

“We followed our procedures,” Hoadley said.

Police were at the school during the evacuation and after-school sports were canceled, Hoadley said.

The robocalls specifically mentioned bombs but never mention any school by name, Morrison said. No Spokane schools were evacuated, but they were locked down. After-school activities continued as scheduled but with extra staffing, Morrison said.

“It’s quite an enormous resource drain,” he said. “We still have to take and assess each (call) as they come in.”

The district sent a message to parents Wednesday afternoon to notify them of what the district is doing in response to the calls.

“The child’s safety is paramount, of course,” he said. “It always is.”

Investigations into the calls have been ongoing since previous incidents.

“All law enforcement are putting a lot of resources into this,” Morrison said. “It’s not just a local issue.”