Texted Bomb Threat Made Against School In Westport: Superintendent

WESTPORT, CT — A bomb threat sent over a text was made against Westport's Coleytown Elementary School Monday morning, which led to the temporary evacuation of the school and a two-hour delayed opening, Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice announced.

No injuries were reported, and no bomb was found, but Westport police are investigating.

"I want to express my deep appreciation for the professionalism and swift coordination of the [Westport Police Department], the leadership of our building administrators, and the dedication of our faculty and support staff, whose actions ensured the safety of everyone involved," Scarice wrote in a message to parents and the school community.

Below is Scarice's message outlining the sequence of events:

At approximately 7:45 a.m., the Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 text message reporting a bomb threat to Coleytown Elementary School. Shortly thereafter, the Westport Police Department (WPD) contacted district administration, and we immediately implemented our established safety protocols, which is particularly challenging during morning transportation runs.

By 8:15 a.m., a message was sent to Coleytown Elementary families notifying them of a two-hour delayed start while the WPD, supported by the Stamford Police Bomb Squad and their explosive detection K9 unit, conducted a search of the building.

During this time, staff and students who were already on site were safely relocated to Coleytown Middle School, in addition to any buses in route. As a precaution, Coleytown Middle School was briefly placed under a shelter-in-place directive while the investigation was underway.

By 9:10 a.m., the WPD and their Stamford partners cleared the building, confirming that no explosive devices were found. Coleytown Elementary was deemed safe, and normal operations will resume, with students expected to arrive between 10:45 and 11:00 a.m. The CMS shelter-in-place was lifted.
The incident remains under investigation by the Westport Police Detective Bureau.

I want to express my deep appreciation for the professionalism and swift coordination of the WPD, the leadership of our building administrators, and the dedication of our faculty and support staff, whose actions ensured the safety of everyone involved.

I also want to commend our students, who responded calmly, respectfully, and with great maturity, reflecting the care and preparedness that define our school community.

While deeply troubling, our prior experiences, such as previous “swatting” incidents, have made us well-prepared to respond quickly and effectively, as was demonstrated this morning.

While any such threat is unsettling, today’s events clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of our emergency response protocols, the strength of our partnership with the WPD, and the remarkable composure of our staff, students, and building administrators.

Thank you for your continued trust, cooperation, and support.

Sincerely,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Westport Public Schools

Below is the news release from Westport Police Capt. Jillian Cabana about Monday's incident:

— News release from Westport Police Department