Empty Bomb Threats Target Arklatex Schools

Bomb threats are never a laughing matter; especially when they target a school full of children. However, it seems that a growing number of students think empty bomb threats are a joke. Thursday morning, Fair Park High School, Broadmoor Middle School and Bethune Middle School all recieved bomb threats. Earlier this week, Caddo Middle Magnet had a bomb threat as well. All the threats were proven to be fake. Yet, that did not make a difference in the emergency reponse. Just ask emergency response expert Captain Kenny Sanders with the Caddo Parish Sheriff`s Office. "We`re almost always going to assume that all threats have the potential to be real," Sanders said. Though those precautions are taken in the interest of safety, fake bomb threats can lead to a serious waste of resources for both schools and law enforcement. Bryan Gallant is the assistant principal at Caddo Magnet High School. Magnet High has not had any bomb threats in at least 9 years, however, he says students who call in bomb threats do so for short-sighted reasons. "They might call in a bomb threat so they won`t have to about their english test the next day," Gallant said. However, that english test will be the least of their worries. If the culprist is caught in Caddo Parish, they could be kicked out of school, face criminal charges and the possibility of time behind bars; all penalties that will follow a child well beyond their schooldays. According to Caddo Parish Public Schools policy, bomb threats don`t mean immediate evacuations. Administrators and teachers evaluate the threat and do a thorough search for everything. As for the media, it is our police not to cover bomb threats at schoos because police and administrators say press coverage could generate copy cat threats.