Threat on bathroom wall of South Side Middle School leads to evacuation

Posted

An anonymous threat written on a bathroom wall at South Side Middle School forced administrators to evacuate the building on Friday before getting an "all-clear" from police.

According to a statement posted on the district’s website, the threat warned that the school would blow up at 1 p.m. The building was evacuated before 1 p.m., as students and staff walked to nearby Temple B’nai Sholom-Beth David at the corner of Lakeview and Hempstead avenues.

Rockville Centre Police Commissioner Charles Gennario said members of the department, along with Nassau County's bomb squad, responded to a call from Principal Shelagh McGinn.

Police searched the building with a bomb-sniffing dog and found nothing, as students then returned to the building at about 2:15 p.m., he said, in time for their dismissal at 2:42 p.m.

We would like to thank the Rockville Centre and Nassau police for their rapid response and cooperation," the district posted on its website late Friday afternoon. "We would also like to thank the staff at Temple B’nai Shalom who were wonderfully gracious for accepting all of our students on a moment’s notice."

The statement added that the students were cooperative, respectful and calm as the school's staff and administrators implemented its emergency plan.

"We are always hopeful that emergencies never happen," the district wrote, "however, we are grateful that all of what we had planned worked effectively to maintain order and more importantly ensured the safety of our children."