UPDATE at 2:46 p.m.: City of Falls Church police have given the “all clear” at George Mason High School after a bomb threat was called in earlier this morning. “The evacuation and sweep were performed out of an abundance of caution,” according to a press release from the City of Falls Church. The Virginia State Police K9, Metro Transit K9, Arlington County Fire and Bomb Units and the City of Falls Church Sheriff’s Office assisted the Falls Church Police Department with the evacuation and sweep.
UPDATE at 2:01 p.m.: An employee of Tuckahoe Elementary School, the school where O’Connell students were evacuated to, notified the News-Press that the O’Connell students were returning to the building just before 2 p.m.
UPDATE at 1:36 p.m.: In addition to George Mason High School and Bishop O’Connell High School, five other high schools – Herndon High School in Herndon, McLean High School in McLean, Stone Bridge High School in Auburn, The Potomac School in McLean and Westfield High School in Chantilly – also received bomb threats and were evacuated today.
UPDATE at 12:51 p.m.: A bomb threat was also called into Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington this morning and the school was evacuated, with students being relocated to a safe location off campus. K-9 units from the Pentagon police and Metro Transit Police are currently on the scene with Arlington County police to do a sweep of the school.
A bomb threat was called into Falls Church’s George Mason High School this morning, the News-Press has learned, and students were relocated to a safe location outside of the school while law enforcement teams scour the high school campus with special personnel and dogs.
Falls Church School Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones told the News-Press that the school was well prepared for such an incident, since police briefed school personnel following a spate of similar incidents all around Virginia in the recent period. It was reported that nearby McLean High School had a similar case recently and that so far none of the threats have turned up evidence of an actual bomb.
Dr. Jones said there is no estimate as to when the work of the police units will be completed and students will be allowed to return to their classes.
