For the second time in October this year, security threats at multiple Philadelphia schools triggered lockdowns and evacuations. The first security threat was made on October 6th: five schools were contacted by an anonymous message. The schools affected were Baldi Middle School, Masterman School, Spruance School, Hill-Freedman World Academy, and Rhodes School. Ten days later, three schools were targeted again with more threatening calls. The schools involved were Benjamin Franklin High School, the School of the Future, and Julia R. Masterman School.
The campus of Julia R. Masterman was in a panic throughout the evacuation of the first bomb threat. Students were alerted by the fire alarm during their first period of classes and were evacuated out of the building. Neither staff nor students were alerted of the issue; many assumed it was an unexpected fire drill. Word of the threat soon spread as the school’s student body and faculty were scattered across the blocks of Spring Garden Street in Fairmount. The NBC10’s Skyforce helicopter could be seen hovering over the school’s grounds, causing more concern for students. The Philadelphia Police Department arrived with the canine unit quickly to conduct an inspection of the building. Students were allowed back inside the building at approximately 12:00 p.m.
When the fire alarm sounded on October 16th, Masterman students and staff were in disbelief as they walked out of the doors of the building. Students were quick to grab their bags and devices this time around, not wanting to be stranded outside the school without their necessities. Although the contents of the October 16 message are not known to the public, it is confirmed that there was a threatening message sent to the school.
After experiencing two school evacuations due to threatening messages, students are left with a few things to say. Sophia Plastaras, a Masterman high school junior, commented, “It’s quite scary and it has disrupted our learning environment. Many times, I noticed that students are not given a proper debrief.” When asked how she felt about the communication of the evacuations, Julia May, another Masterman junior, stated, “city officials and school administrators are not helping students feel more comfortable or secure.”
Parents were notified via email of the situations on both occurrences. The district has yet to send out additional information regarding the investigation. The Philadelphia Police Department has not confirmed that the messages were sent by the same source but have launched an ongoing investigation.
The parents, staff, and students are left without answers, and their concerns are growing. A Masterman teacher added, “I don't feel that we were prepared for a bomb scare, we do not have bomb threat evacuation plans, information was minimal, students were finding out from their phones or the internet…the district should give more directives for how to handle a situation like this in the future.”
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