Edinburgh and Center Grove schools were among the around 35 school districts around Indiana to receive an emailed bomb threat late Thursday.
The threats were deemed to be not credible, local public safety officials said.
The email began with Arabic writing and said “one of your schools has bombs inside,” and “Pray to God, Allah is the greatest,” Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said.
Center Grove school officials canceled classes Friday, while Edinburgh continued classes because town police deemed it safe to have class.
The decision to cancel all classes and activities was a precautionary measure made in consultation with the Center Grove Police Department, Homeland Security and other agencies, according to an email sent to Center Grove parents Friday morning. School officials wouldn’t comment further, said Stacy Conrad, a spokesperson for the district.
Edinburgh Superintendent Ron Ross, who made the decision to keep schools open in consultation with law enforcement, said he received the bomb threat email just before 11 p.m. Thursday. He immediately contacted the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Edinburgh Police Department, both of which were already in contact with the FBI, Ross said.
Edinburgh police searched school buildings for suspicious items at midnight and then again at 6 a.m. Friday, said Doyne Little, police chief.
“We searched the schools inside and out last night and this morning looking for anything out of the ordinary we would need to call a bomb squad for,” Little said. “We didn’t find anything unusual.”
Edinburgh schools were able to remain open while others closed because of the quick response, Ross said.
“After two searches that yielded nothing of concern and with the information that law enforcement had obtained, they gave us the all clear to conduct school as normal,” he said. “When I saw that other schools were closing, I contacted their superintendents and asked them what information led to them closing. Their primary reason was they did not see the email until this morning and did not have adequate time to search the buildings and ensure student safety.”
Edinburgh police had an officer at the main entrance of each school building as a precaution, and all other doors were locked, Little said.
The emails essentially amount to a swatting situation, Burgess said. Swatting is a threat or crime with no basis in reality that is reported to inconvenience police or an individual.
“Everyone is trying to do the best they can,” he said. “People have a lot of time on their hands and they do what they do to make our life hell.”
FBI Indianapolis worked with state and local law enforcement Friday to investigate any threats, the agency said in a statement.
Other Johnson County school districts didn’t receive a threat, officials confirmed to the Daily Journal.
Franklin, Greenwood and Clark-Pleasant had more officers than usual patrolling school buildings Friday as a precaution, officials said.
Indian Creek schools followed typical safety protocols Friday, said Katherine Taylor, a district spokesperson.
Other central Indiana school districts to receive the threat include Noblesville and Shelbyville Eastern schools, though threats were sent to school districts all over the state.
