With Hastings school officials following protocols and working with Hastings Police, it was quickly determined Wednesday morning that an e-mail sent to 7th grade teachers that read “Bomb” was a false threat, a prank.
With the determination that it was a low level threat, they did not need to evacuate the middle school building.
Superintendent Carrie Duits said they did not call off a Michigan State Police handler and his K-9 who were enroute, but kept students in their classrooms while “the dog performed a walkthrough as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our students.”
Hastings Police Chief Jeff Pratt credited Duits, Business Manager Tim Berlin and Director of Curriculum Matt Goebel for their cooperation and taking all the right measures early on.
“If they hadn’t taken the proper steps, it would have been different,” he said. The police report will be sent to the prosecutor for possible charges against the student.
