Local schools will reopen on a normal schedule Tuesday after bomb threats that prompted closures on Monday were later determined not to be credible, a district official said.
Maine School Administrative District 75 closed all its schools Monday after threatening voice messages were delivered overnight to four buildings’ messaging systems. The caller claimed explosive devices had been placed inside the schools.
However, the district’s top administrator issued a news release Monday afternoon saying the threats had been investigated and were found to be false. MSAD 75 covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.
“Topsham Police Chief Marc Hagan has since stated that the threats are not considered credible and there is no ongoing danger to the public,” Superintendent of Schools Heidi O’Leary said in the release. “However, the district must treat all such threats as credible until law enforcement officially clears every building. Which they have done.”
A principal discovered the messages around 5:15 a.m. Monday and alerted O’Leary, who said she contacted Sagadahoc County dispatch to mobilize law enforcement. A two-hour delay to the start of school was announced just before 6 a.m., but officials shifted to a full-day closure by 8 a.m. to allow more time for building searches.
O’Leary said the district worked closely with local and county law enforcement and would continue assisting investigators as they sought to identify the source of the calls.
