Bomb threat calls interrupt Brookline, other high schools
April 11, 2016
At approximately 8:40 a.m. this morning, a fire alarm sounded and the high school evacuated onto Cypress Field. Students and faculty remained there for over an hour before being allowed back into the building after 10 a.m. According to Assistant Headmaster Hal Mason, the evacuation was a result of the discovery of a suspicious package in the basement following a bomb threat delivered through a call to the main office this morning.
According to Mason, the school received the call before 8 a.m. He said that they believe the call was a “robocall,” not placed by a real person.
“It sounded like a real person,” he said. “But it was very staticky and it was not very clear- the person wasn’t responding. We believe now it was a robocall since now it seems that there are at least 20 high schools in the area that got calls as well.”
Mason said that upon receiving the call, administrators immediately contacted the police and fire departments, and then panned out around the school to look for any suspicious packages. He said that initially they didn’t find anything, but shortly after A-block began, they identified a suspicious package in the basement. At that point the police and fire departments ordered the evacuation of the school, according to Mason.
According to an email sent by Interim Superintendent Joe Connelly, the police concluded their search of the school and confirmed that the building was clear and safe. School resumed around 10:10 a.m. and students went immediately to their C-block classes.
Police confirmed bomb threats at multiple other high schools in the area, including in Cambridge, Marlborough and Stoneham.
