LAKE STEVENS — Police gave Lake Stevens High School students and staff the all-clear after a bomb threat made via social media prompted an evacuation Friday morning.
Two students suspected of making the threat were quickly identified Friday morning by Lake Stevens police in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a press release from police. The students were “referred for criminal prosecution,” police said.
Officers responded to reports of the threat at 10:28 a.m. Students and staff were evacuated while police conducted a sweep of the building with the help of bomb-sniffing dogs and confirmed no explosive devices were present. Classes resumed around 12:45 p.m.
The bomb threat was made through YikYak, a semi-anonymous social media site, according to a school district email sent to parents Friday afternoon. A student saw the threat and notified their parent, who then contacted the high school.
The Lake Stevens School District thanked parents for their “patience and cooperation” during the evacuation. Officials had previously asked parents not to come to the school and warned that students could not be dismissed under emergency protocol.
Parents were encouraged to familiarize themselves with YikYak and talk to their children about the seriousness of making any type of threat, the district’s email said.
“There is no way to be truly anonymous online,” the statement said. “There is nothing funny about these situations.”
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