Medway High Evacuated Over Hoax Bomb Threat

Medway High School was evacuated Thursday afternoon after two threatening phone calls prompted a lockdown, a delayed dismissal and a full police search of the campus, according to school and police officials. Medway Police Chief William Kingsbury later told local media the bomb threat was a hoax after officers and firefighters found nothing during a sweep of the building and grounds. Superintendent Armand Pires said students and staff were safe, and after-school activities were canceled as authorities continued investigating. Friday classes were set to resume with an added police presence, school officials said. ### When did the threat come in, and what did the school do first? Just before 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, Medway High School received two phone calls from an individual making threats to student safety, Medway Public Schools said in a message posted to families. School leaders responded by putting the building into lockdown, with students and staff kept in classrooms and no one allowed to enter or leave the grounds during the initial response. (medwayschools.org) Medway Public Schools said the incident was limited to the high school and that operations at McGovern Elementary, Burke-Memorial Elementary and Medway Middle School continued as usual. The district told families during the lockdown that all students and staff at the high school were safe. ### Why was the building evacuated after the lockdown? A second phase of the response began after the school moved from lockdown to evacuation so police and fire personnel could search the campus, according to the district and local reporting. (medwayschools.org) Students and staff were dismissed after what officials described as a brief delay while emergency crews secured the scene and conducted the sweep. (ms.medwayschools.org) Police Chief William Kingsbury told the Milford Daily News that emergency personnel conducted a full sweep of the building and grounds and found nothing. Kingsbury said the threat was a hoax, according to that report. ### How long did the search last, and what changed for the rest of the day? About 5 p.m. marked the end of the building sweep, local coverage reported, several hours after the initial calls came in. (medwayma.gov) After-school activities at Medway High School were canceled Thursday while police continued the investigation. (milforddailynews.com) WCVB reported Thursday that the investigation remained active even after the evacuation. That account matched statements from school officials that police were still examining the threats and that the response involved both law enforcement and fire personnel. ### What did school officials tell families Thursday night? Superintendent Armand Pires and Principal John Murray said in a joint message that student and staff safety remained the district’s primary concern. (milforddailynews.com) Pires told families that counseling and administrative support would be available for anyone unsettled by the incident. (wcvb.com) The district also said there was no indication of an ongoing threat to the school community once the search was completed. In a follow-up notice referenced in local coverage, officials said school would be held as scheduled on Friday with additional police presence at the high school as a precaution. ### What happens next in the investigation? (medwayma.gov) Medway Police said Thursday that the incident remained under investigation, and no public announcement of an arrest was included in the school or town statements available Friday. The available public accounts did not identify the caller or say where the calls originated. Friday classes were scheduled to proceed at Medway High School, with added police presence on campus, according to the district’s message to families. (facebook.com) Medway High School’s public calendar lists graduation on June 2 as the next major schoolwide event on the schedule. (medwayma.gov)