School evacuated after bomb threat

PROVO — Just two days after the bloodshed at Virginia Tech, at least one person called Provo High School with a bomb threat, resulting in the evacuation of some 1,700 students Wednesday.

Police never found a device, and no one was injured — although hundreds of students huddled and shivered in the icy rain on the school's football field for nearly 45 minutes.

"It would appear to be a prank," Provo Police Sgt. George Besendorfer said. "The time frame (of the threat of a bomb going off) has already passed."

Students streamed out of the building just after 1 p.m., after a 10-minute lockdown and sweep of the building by authorities. Administrators emphasized it was not a drill and to move quickly.

The students were herded onto the football field where they huddled together under thin jackets or a rare umbrella, trying to stay warm despite an icy rain.

Students used cell phones to call parents to let them know what was going on and that they were OK, despite the lockdown.

Allison O'Neill was one of the first parents on scene after she got a call from her daughter, Anu.

"It was panic, instantly," O'Neill said. "(I told her) I'm gonna be there. I'm not going to sit at home and wait to see what's going on."

The district discourages parents from coming to campus, which can make evacuations or safety precautions more difficult for the authorities.

Typically with bomb threats in the Provo School District, authorities search the school with students locked in classrooms.

Evacuation is rare but was necessary at Provo High, in part for the psychological well-being of students and staff after the events in Virginia, said Greg Hudnall, the district's student services director.

On Monday, a gunman shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Polytechnic Institute before killing himself. Most of the victims were students.

"There's no doubt we went beyond normal because of that," Hudnall said.

Police and the school officials were tight-lipped about details of the bomb threat, except that a call was received at 12:44 p.m.

Without using the words "bomb," school administration announced on the intercom system that classrooms were to be locked. In some classrooms, learning continued as usual. In other classrooms, students began chattering nervously.