Police dogs sweep Acushnet public schools after apparent hoax bomb threat

An anonymous threat was emailed to public schools in Acushnet, Massachusetts, over the weekend, prompting a protective sweep of two of the schools.

According to a joint statement from Superintendent Paula Bailey and Police Chief Christopher Richmond, Acushnet Elementary School and Ford Middle School were swept by police and K9 units on Saturday.

The superintendent received the threat through the school district's website form, officials said, and she immediately notified police and the school resource officer.

The schools were evacuated. The only personnel working on campus at the time were custodial staff and employees of ServPro cleaning and restoration, which was performing a previously announced deep cleaning at Acushnet Elementary School, officials said.

Acushnet police launched an investigation with their mutual-aid partners, including police dogs from Massachusetts State Police and the Bristol County Sheriff's Office.

A full sweep of both buildings revealed nothing suspicious, and it was determined that the email was a hoax, mirroring countless other threats received by school districts around the nation recently, officials said.

"Unfortunately, these kinds of anonymous email threats have become far too common nationally, but we continue to take very threat seriously and respond in a consistent manner," the police chief said.

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The cleaning at the elementary school later resumed, and classes are expected to resume on a normal schedule Monday. While police determined there was no danger, officials said families, students, faculty and staff may see an increased police presence on campus Monday out of an abundance of caution.

"We are grateful to Chief Richmond and their law enforcement partners for their prompt and efficient response this weekend," the superintendent said. "We followed our district's safety protocols, and as always we take every threat seriously. The safety of our schools is paramount."