We turn now to Centre County where we find our Douglas Braff with what school officials across the region are saying.
He’s in front of Bellefonte Area High School where students and staff were evacuated this morning.
That’s right police and school officials moved those evacuees temporarily to Rogers Stadium next to the high school.
Bellefonte Area School District Superintendent Tammie Burnaford tells us Bellefonte Police spearheaded this evacuation effort.
She says as the morning progressed and the scene was determined safe students were either taken home on busses or by their legal guardians. They cleared out the football field by shortly after twelve noon.
Burnaford telling us there were approximately eight hundred fifty students and about seventy to eighty staff at the high school Today. That’s out of the roughly nine-hundred high-schoolers usually in attendance.
Burnaford adds that there was about the same number of staff at the Middle School where there was approximately five hundred fifty out of the less than six hundred students present.
Everyone at the Middle School and the Elementary Schools sheltered in place.
“We have counselors from all across the area and our own counselors on site for kids and staff, and we will have counselors and staff, um, other staff available tomorrow to everyone too.”
Moving on now to what school officials in Blair and Cambria Counties are saying the Altoona Area School District the Superintendent there telling us the threatening call they received came from outside the school district.
He says Altoona Police arrived on scene within sixty seconds of the call going out. The Superintendent adding that teachers, staff, and students followed active shooter protocal including turning off the lights in classrooms and other rooms.
Saying that school’s back in session at Altoona the Superintendent tells us sporting events will continue as planned.
A heavy police response also reported at Bishop Carroll High School after they received similar calls there.
Nearby Jackson Elementary in the Central Cambria School District placed on lockdown too.
The Superintendents we spoke with talked about how seriously they take these situations
“Quite simply this was this was a HOAX. And we’re treating it as such. And we have returned to normalcy.”
“To me, this is this is terrorism. Because you’re, you’re you’re playing on the fears of parents and and children. It’s just absolutely unconscionable that someone would think that this is a prank or a hoax. It’s unbelievable.”
Bellefonte Superintendent Burnaford says they canceled classes for the rest of the day at just the High School. With Bellefonte Police Chief Weaver telling me classes will resume Tomorrow.
We’re told Bishop Carroll also let out for the day.