TAMAQUA, SCHUYLKILL COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Parents and students in a local school district had quite the scare on Tuesday. A threatening call was made to the district's high school, leading to a lockdown and a heavy police presence for much of the day.
Police responded to Tamaqua Area High School around 12:30 p.m. after being alerted of a threat, which was made over the phone to the building's main office.
It's still unclear who's responsible for the call or what their message was, but it put a scare into parents and students.
Police say the threatening phone call came in mid-afternoon. It was then that students were notified that something was wrong, but there were more questions than answers.
It's still unclear what this message said or who it was from, but school officials tell us the threat has been mitigated.
Local and state police could be seen making their way in and out of the building, many of them rifles drawn.
Police use Flock Safety system to arrest two suspects
"They said there was a restricted movement, so I was like, 'Okay, so maybe someone just fell and got hurt.' Like how they're usually called, and then it carries into eighth period, which is my study hall, and we're just sitting there, and I'm like thinking, 'how has this not ended yet?'" said Tamaqua Area Middle School seventh-grade student Cooper Bush.
Cooper says students were told to get to their next class and stay put. It was then that his family sent him a message.
"I got a text from my dad and my stepmom, and they were like, 'Am I okay?' And stuff? I'm so confused because, like, I didn't know what was happening, so I just told him, 'Yeah, I'm okay,'" Cooper continued.
Almost immediately, a large police presence was in and around the school, from uniformed officers armed with rifles to K-9 units.
Cooper's father, Adam Bush, says he heard a helicopter circling overhead, and after checking local Facebook groups, he realized there had been an incident at the school.
"As a concerned parent, your mind starts going instantly. I had no idea what happened, you know. I don't know who was hurt or if anyone was hurt, what the threats were," Adam said.
With violence in schools becoming more common, Adam says he immediately feared the worst.
"At first your thoughts are 'oh my gosh, it could be anyone's child,' and you don't want it to happen to anybody, especially your own," Adam explained.
Shortly after the school day ended, the district issued a letter to parents informing them of what happened.
You can find the full letter sent to families from Tamaqua Area Superintendent Raymond J. Kinder below:
TASD-Family-Letter-3-11-25Download
The threat is currently under investigation by the school's resource officer.
Once this investigation is finished, it will be passed on to the Tamaqua Police Department for further investigation.
28/22 News will provide updates as they become available to us.
