Madras HS bomb threat call prompts lockdown; students bused to fairgrounds as school cleared, deemed safe

(Update: More on threat, search of school; after-school activities resume; classes as usual on Friday)

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A telephoned bomb threat involving Madras High School Thursday morning prompted a lockdown, followed by the evacuation of all students, who were bused to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds while law enforcement searched and cleared the school, finding it was safe to return.

Jefferson County dispatchers received the called-in bomb threat involving the school around 8:15 a.m., Sheriff Jason Pollock told NewsChannel 21 Thursday evening.

Numerous law enforcement agencies responded, including Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, Madras and Warm Springs police, Oregon State Police, Jefferson County Fire and EMS and the FBI, Pollock said.

"During the first phase of the investigation, areas of the school were cleared and children were moved to a safe location within the school by law enforcement and school staff," Pollock said in a news release.

"School administrators and law enforcement coordinating moving the children from the school onto buses to a reunification point where children were released to their guardians," the sheriff added.

"After the children were safely removed from the school, law enforcement searched the school several more times, looking for any incendiary devices (bombs)," Pollock said. "There were no devices located in, around or near the school."

"Based on the information gathered at this time, there is no credible threat to the school, students or staff members," the sheriff said, adding, "Members of the (Tri-County) Major Incident Team are actively investigating this case."

Pollock told NewsChannel 21 in the morning of the "active threat at Madras High School" and said, "Several law enforcement agencies (are) on scene clearing the school. No one is injured. We are taking the threat seriously at this time until we can prove otherwise.”

“All kids are currently safe at this time,” the sheriff said.

Jefferson County School District 509J families were advised initially that police were responding to a specific threat at the high school and that the school was in lockdown status, with nearby schools placed in a secure status. "Classes are proceeding as normal in those schools," the district stated.

"We ask that families not come to school campuses at this time to allow law enforcement to do their work," the notice concluded.

Some area streets also were closed as another precautionary step.

Later Thursday morning, the school that has some 700 students was evacuated while the clearing process continued, and taken in several school buses to the county fairgrounds, school district Communications Coordinator Joseph Prechtl said.

Students' families received an update note late Thursday morning that informed them the school had been evacuated and asking that they pick up their child at the fairgrounds.

"The safety and security of your child is our top priority," officials wrote.

A note posted to the district’s website Thursday afternoon thanked law enforcement for their “quick and thorough response to the situation,” as well as staff, students and families “for the calm and orderly response.”

“Law enforcement has completed multiple and thorough searches of the campus and determined that Madras High School is safe to re-enter,” the note stated.

The school district said after-school programs and sports would take place at Madras High Thursday afternoon and classes would resume Friday at their regularly scheduled time. They also said Tri-County Response Team staff would be on hand Friday “to support students and staff who would like to process further” the day’s events.