Johnson Central High Evacuates Students After Receiving Bomb Threat
By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor
Parents were notified by Johnson Central Schools about a bomb threat that led to an evacuation of all students Tuesday morning.
The letter informed everyone that all who were evacuated were safe and secure advising everyone to remain calm and not enter the school to allow law enforcement to complete their work sweeping the entire school searching for anything suspicious.
Just before noon parents were notified again stating the school had been cleared by law enforcement and students along with staff had returned to the building to resume instruction.
“While this incident has been identified as a nationwide prank, we will remain on soft lockdown for the remainder of the day out of an abundance of caution,” stated the post by the school.
Superintendent Thom Cochran issued a statement to Johnson County families to provide the most accurate information regarding the incident.
“Earlier today, Johnson Central High School was targeted by a bomb threat. I want to provide our community with the most accurate information available regarding this incident and the statewide context surrounding it.
The Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center is currently tracking multiple “swatting” incidents occurring at schools across the Commonwealth today. These calls were made to local 911 dispatch centers using a male, scrambled robotic voice. In each instance reported throughout Kentucky, the specific details—including the alleged location of devices and the method of placement—varied with each call.
The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (KOHS) is continuing to investigate these leads and has shared all relevant information with our federal partners.
Upon receiving the threat, our safety protocols were immediately activated.”
Law enforcement did remain on-site and parents were asked to allow their children to stay and complete the instructional day.
“We greatly appreciate the swift coordination of the Paintsville Police and Fire Departments, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kentucky State Police and the Johnson Central Campus Police,” stated Cochran. “All departments worked together seamlessly to conduct a comprehensive sweep of the entire JCHS Campus. In an abundance of caution, the Kentucky State Police brought in an explosives K9 unit to sweep the building. This situation was confirmed to be a false threat.”
Ending the statement issued by Cochran was a message he sent to the community.
“It is deeply disheartening that someone would seek to disrupt the important work taking place inside our schools. We have too many great things happening in Johnson County Schools and too much learning that needs to take place for this type of disruption to hinder the educational process.
I want to personally commend our students and staff for the incredible maturity and leadership they showed in handling this situation. To our parents: thank you for the continued trust you place in us to care for your children.
At the end of the day, our top priority is the safety of each and every child in our care, and we will always err on that side.
We will get right back at it tomorrow as we continue our normal routine of learning, working, and finishing the year strong. To ease everyone’s minds, we will have local law enforcement onsite throughout the day. If you have information regarding similar incidents or have further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office.”