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PHILADELPHIA - Conestoga High School in Chester County started school three hours late after police cleared the building following reports of a bomb threat.
What we know:
Police in Tredyffrin Township say a bomb threat was made against Conestoga High School on Thursday morning, prompting officials to enact a two-hour delay.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the police have recommended a two-hour delay for Conestoga to give time to clear the school of any threat," the district said.
Police and bomb-sniffing dogs searched both inside and outside the building, and ultimately deemed the threat to be a hoax.
All other schools in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District will start on time.
Conestoga High School had a three hour delay, with a modified 8 period schedule.
What we don't know:
No arrests were immediately reported.
While the person who called in the bomb threat has not been identified, police say they are continuing to investigate the incident.
Local perspective:
The threat comes just days into the school year and about a week after a swatting incident at Villanova University that was later deemed a ‘cruel hoax.'
The Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs department said in a statement that, "while the call — and additional calls related to the incident — may have been attempts to trigger a large-scale police response in a so-called ‘swatting’ attempt, it is important to note that this is an ongoing investigation."
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has directed Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to utilize all available resources to find those responsible for the false threat.
"The reports of an active shooter at Villanova today are unfounded, and products of a cruel swatting incident — when someone calls in a fake threat to induce panic. Swatting is illegal," Gov. Shapiro said in a post on X.