INDIANAPOLIS — Several dozen central Indiana school districts canceled in-person learning Friday, April 14, after a bomb threat was emailed to the districts, officials said.
Indiana State Police said it was notified early Friday morning of the messages, which threatened "the use of explosive devices that had allegedly been planted on various school campuses."
ISP said it has been working with the Department of Education and various local and federal law enforcement agencies since, and no suspicious or explosive devices have been found in any schools.
“The safety of our children will always be a top priority, the Indiana State Police will continue to offer any and all resources we have to schools to ensure safety for our students," ISP Superintendent Doug Carter said in a statement.
Shortly after 9:30 a.m., the FBI Indianapolis division tweeted that it was "aware of these threats, and we are working in coordination with our state and local enforcement partners to investigate."
A spokesperson with Noblesville Schools said the threat was sent to "approximately 40 school districts throughout Indiana."
Henry County Sheriff John Sproles said he was informed early Friday of the threat, which was emailed to the Shenandoah School Corporation.
The threat was not written in English, Sproles said, and translated to: "One of your schools has a bomb inside. It is well built, solid and discreetly located. Considering that today is your last day, I think it is appropriate for you to pray to God. Allah is the greatest."
No other districts in Henry County received the threat, though the sheriff's department notified other districts of the situation.
Nothing suspicious was located in Shenandoah School Corporation buildings during a search, Sproles said.
Here are statements central Indiana school districts sent to families and staff:
Center Grove Schools will be closed on Friday, April 14, 2023 with no eLearning due to a bomb threat. School building staff should not report today. All events are canceled. The district is one of 35 across the state of Indiana that received the same threat late last night. Homeland Security is investigating this situation. The decision to close was made out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with the Center Grove Police Department, Homeland Security, and other agencies.
Today, Friday, April 14h will be an eLearning day. Students will not report to school
Lebanon Community School Corporation will utilize an eLearning day on April 14, 2023 due to a matter of school safety.
Students will not report to school. Instructional materials will be available on Canvas by 9 a.m. We invite you to explore the eLearning resources available on our website at www.leb.k12.in.us/elearning.
The eLearning Help Desk will be available for technology support. You may call or text 765-335-2270 or email elearning@leb.k12.in.us. Questions about lesson content or resources should be directed to the classroom teacher.
Thank you, and stay safe!
All Madison-Grant schools will be on an e-learning day for April 14, 2023. Parents and students, please check your email for more information. Student assignments will be posted by 12 p.m. Have a good weekend, Argylls!
Marion Community Schools will be on an e-learning day today. We understand many of our students do not have their school-provided iPads at home with them. Watch for information from your school or teacher regarding assignments, or if that is not possible due to lack of access, follow up with your teacher when we return to the building next week.
Marion Community Schools was among several schools across the state that were sent an email that contained a bomb threat.
Out of an abundance of caution, and on the advice of law enforcement, MCS chose to declare an e-learning day today, April 14, to provide time for an investigation continues into these widespread threats.
More details will be provided as soon as possible.
Good morning, Noblesville Schools families. This is your Superintendent, Dr. Hile.
In the middle of the night, we received an anonymous email that made a bomb threat against our schools. Our team has been working on this situation since early this morning. While we do not have any reason to believe that the threat is credible at this time, we are of course not willing to risk the safety of our students or staff.
For that reason, and out of an overabundance of caution, I am calling an e-learning day today, on Friday, April 14th. Our team will spend today working with our local law enforcement and other appropriate agencies to further investigate this threat, and also ensure the safety of every one of our schools.
I apologize for the short notice, and appreciate your understanding as we continue to work hard to keep our schools, staff, and children safe.
SES Families: Early this morning, we were notified by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department of a bomb threat their office received targeting several Indiana schools. In their opinion and ours, the threat is credible enough that we believe the safest path forward is to call for an eLearning day today so that we can have time to assess the situation. Teachers will communicate with students and their have lessons posted by 10:00 a.m. Only essential staff should report to school, and you will be notified directly if you need to report. We will provide a more detailed update later. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we investigate the situation.
SSC will operate on an eLearning Day Schedule today. Instructions for the elementary can be found here and middle/high school here. Dr. Barrentine will be sending additional information shortly.
All Speedway Schools will be closed today, Friday, April 14, 2023, due to a bomb threat. All safety measures will be activated and an update will be sent later today.
At 6:54 a.m. today (Friday, April 14, 2023), the school corporation was notified of a bomb threat. After speaking to local law enforcement and receiving a recommendation from IIFC (Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center), we used the information available to make the best decision we could in a short amount of time. We determined to make the safest decision for our students out of an abundance of caution.
We apologize for the inconvenience this undoubtedly caused students and families today. Speedway Schools is one of approximately 40 school districts that received a bomb threat.
As we continue collaborating with our Speedway Police, Indianapolis Police Department, and other agencies, we are taking every recommended precaution and following prescribed safety protocols for bomb threats to ensure safety.
A final notification about athletic and ECA events will be communicated as soon as we have made a determination.
We look forward to welcoming students back on Monday and appreciate your understanding in the decision we made today.
Speedway released the following statement shortly before 11:30 a.m.:
We are pleased to report that all Speedway Schools are cleared and safe following the bomb threat. We want to again thank students, parents, and families for their understanding and flexibility today. We also want to thank the law enforcement agencies, school administrators, and building grounds staff who showed incredible teamwork today in ensuring the safety of our schools.
Activities and Athletics:
All kindergarten-8th grade after-school activities and athletics are canceled today.
High School athletic practices/events WILL be in session today.
If you have any questions about your child’s particular activity, please reach out via Parentsquare to your child’s principal or coach.
School will resume on Monday, April 17th.
The following school districts also reported delays/closings Friday:
- Guerin Catholic High School: Closed
- Oak Hill United School Corp.: E-Learning
- Shelbyville Central Schools: E-Learning
- Speedway Public Schools: Closed
- Tipton Community School Corp.: E-Learning
- Western School Corporation: Two-hour delay
- Western Wayne Schools: Closed
A spokesperson with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office told 13News that not all Johnson County schools received the threat.
The spokesperson said Greenwood Community Schools has extra police at the schools as a precaution.
Edinburgh Superintendent Dr. Ron Ross said they did receive the alleged threat Thursday night, but classes were still held Friday.
Ross provided the following statement to 13News on the decision to stay open:
"I received the email a little before 11 p.m. last night. I immediately contacted law enforcement. I spoke to the Edinburgh Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff's Department. Both agencies mentioned to me that they were in contact with the FBI regarding the matter.
After speaking with both law enforcement agencies and a thorough sweep of each school building, we agreed to continue to monitor the situation throughout the evening.
Early this morning, law enforcement met with administration to do a second sweep prior to students arriving. After two searches that yielded nothing of concern and with the information that law enforcement had obtained, they gave us the all clear to conduct school as normal.
In an abundance of caution, I asked Edinburgh Police Department to maintain a police presence at our schools today, and they graciously agreed. We informed staff and parents just before school this morning once we had the most accurate and up to date information.
When I saw that other schools were closing, I contacted their superintendents and asked them what information led to them closing. Their primary reason was that they did not see the email until this morning and did not have adequate time to search their buildings to ensure student and staff safety. Since we saw the email last night, we had the advantage of more time to ensure student and staff safety."