***UPDATED*** Sept. 11, 10:15 p.m. *** A third threat was called in during the night.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 6:02 p.m. **** Directly from the district: The Bethlehem Police Department has issued an “all clear” at BCHS and at Eagle Elementary School. The lockdown has been lifted.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 6:02 p.m. **** Directly from the district: All students and staff are safe. The reunification of student-athletes with parents/guardians is close to being completed. The police department will do a final sweep of BCHS followed by a sweep of Eagle Elementary School.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 5:45 p.m. ****Directly from the district: All students and staff are safe. Approx. half of the BC student-athletes have been released to a parent/guardian under the supervision of police. The reunification process is continuing from Gym B. Thank you for your patience. Once all students have been released from Gym B, there will be an additional sweep of all areas in the high school by police.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 5:25 p.m. *** All students and staff are safe. Visiting athletes have departed the high school. BC student-athletes are being reunited individually with parents/guardians by team, under the supervision of police officers at the Gym B Athletics Enterance.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 5:05 p.m. *** Directly from the district: Lockdown at BCHS; all afterschool and evening activities postponed districtwide
All students and staff are safe. Athletics teams from other schools are boarding buses at BCHS with the assistance of police and will be departing shortly. BC students will be released individually to parents/guardians with the assistance of police at the Gym B Athletic Entrance in the front of the high school.
Also, parents/guardians of students in the School’s Out program at Eagle are also being released to parents/guardians. Police are on site at Eagle.
Please exercise patience when picking up students at these locations.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 4:52 p.m. *** Directly from the district: Students and staff members are all safe at the high school. Police officers are currently clearing classrooms and areas where students and staff have been safely sheltering. The students will be escorted by police to a common area to be released individually to parents/guardians.
***UPDATE*** Sept. 11, 4:40 p.m. *** Students-athletes whose teams are returning to Bethlehem Central after visiting other schools, can be retrieved at the Bethlehem Central Middle School. Not the high school.
ORIGINAL STORY: DELMAR — Bethlehem Central High School (BCHS) is currently on lockdown after the Bethlehem Police Department notified the school district of a phone threat targeting outdoor activities at the high school. The threat was received at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, prompting immediate safety measures.
As a precaution, all afterschool and evening activities districtwide were suspended as of 4:30 p.m. Teams and coaches at BCHS are sheltering indoors, and the district reports that all students and staff at the high school are safe.
Police have responded to the high school, and authorities have advised the public not to come to the school until further notice. The district stated that updates will be provided every 20 minutes or sooner, if police clear the lockdown before the next scheduled update.
Further details about the nature of the threat or the ongoing police response have not been released. The school district is urging parents and community members to remain patient and await official communications.
This is a developing story, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.