Perkiomen Valley Recovering After Multiple Bomb Threats Over Bathroom Policy

PERKIOMEN VALLEY, PA — The Perkiomen Valley School District community is recovering from a series of threats that came in the wake of tumult over the school restroom policy and LGBTQ+ rights.

School was dismissed early last Thursday after threats targeted Perkiomen Valley School District. Threats were repeated on Friday. At least some of the threats referenced the school's bathroom policy, which allows transgendered individuals to use the bathroom of their sexual identity.

'You are willing to put girls at risk of being sexually assaulted and raped, disregarding their comfort so that you can assert yourself as being progressive woke heroes," the threatening email stated, according to the Pottstown Mercury. "We’re not going to tolerate you sick perverted freaks, you are child abusers and have forfeit your right to life you (expletive) pieces of (expletive). We will (expletive) kill all of you bastards."

"YOU WILL UNDO THIS BATHROOM DECISION OR YOU WILL CONTINUE TO FACE OUR WRATH," the email added.

Perkiomen Valley did not provide a public statement over the threats or response to it beyond acknowledging the incident.

'Today's early dismissal was a response to threats specific to the Perkiomen Valley School District," the school said in a statement. "It's important to clarify that the threats we received were unrelated to those associated with a recent swatting campaign as categorized by the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC). Swatting is the malicious act of making false threats, often anonymously or under a false identity."

The threats came just days after large groups of students rallied both in favor of and against the bathroom policy. Hundreds of students walked out of school to protest the policy, drawing applause from conservative media outlets around the country. Hundreds more signed a petition in support of transgendered individuals and LGBTQ+ rights.