Clawson High School Evacuated Due to Bomb Threat - Update

Update 5 p.m. Monday: Clawson High School reopened around 2:40 p.m. Monday, allowing students to pick up their backpacks and personal items before going home. School resumes as normal tomorrow.

As a precautionary measure, no backpacks will be permitted Tuesday and any sports bags or large purses will be searched by school personnel, said Clawson Schools Superintendent Monique Beels.

All evening events will continue as scheduled.

Beels said late afternoon Monday that the students behaved "beautifully" during the evacuation.

"I was very proud of the Clawson High School student body for their behavior during the evacuation," she said.

2:25 p.m. Monday: Clawson High School was evacuated Monday afternoon due to a bomb threat.

Clawson Schools Superintendent Monique Beels confirmed that about 500 students were taken from the high school building after a bomb threat was found in the girls' restroom after the lunch period.

Students were waiting in the school's courtyard while police searched the building.

"The bomb-sniffing dog is now here and we are anticipating kids will be let back into the school within about 10 minutes," Beels said around 2:05 p.m.

The threat, which was not dated, was written on the wall in the restroom.

"We will prosecute this student when we find who it is," Beels said. "It is a felony."

Clawson Police Chief Harry Anderson said police were notified of the threat at 12:47 p.m.

"There was a written message in girls bathroom. They had cleaned the bathroom this past weekend, so it appears to be a fresh message," Anderson said.

The threat was not specific as to a time, date, or method, he said.

"The plan is to sweep the school, make sure there's no dangers, and let the school re-open," Anderson said.

Officers are reviewing video tapes with school personnel to try and identify who had been in the girls bathroom today.

"From there, it's a process of elimination to find out what their stories are. As you might expect, this could take a long time," Anderson said.

Beels said some parents were picking up their students early after hearing of the evacuation, though she said most students left the building without their backpacks and other personal items and may need to get back in the school before going home.

Beels said the incident will be fully investigated.

"It's really important to us that the kids are safe in our school and that they feel safe," she said.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.