Hoax Bomb Threat Leads To Norwalk High School Evacuation: UPDATE

NORWALK, CT — A bomb threat Wednesday morning that led to the brief evacuation of Norwalk High School was determined to be a hoax, according to police.

In a news release, Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino said a large number of officers were called to the school around 9:30 a.m. following the alleged bomb threat.

NHS and and P-TECH Norwalk staff and students were quickly evacuated and kept safe, and police remained in constant contact with Norwalk Public Schools Superintendent Alexandra Estrella and the school's principal, Reginald Roberts, Gulino said.

Officers secured the school's perimeter as additional officers and police canine bomb detection teams from both the Norwalk and Westport police departments entered the building and methodically checked for any suspicious items.

Officers determined the bomb threat was a hoax and the school was safe around 10:50 a.m., Gulino said. Staff and students were then allowed to return to the building.

Officers were still present at the school as of 11:30 a.m. as they continue to investigate the incident, Gulino said.

In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, district officials noted students and staff were safe and would resume a regular school day.

"We appreciate the quick response of our staff and students in keeping with the district’s established safety protocols, the post reads. "Thank you also to our first responders for their thorough response and support."

District officials said they would be working closely with school staff and Norwalk police to follow up on the investigation.

"As always, safety and security are our primary concern. We encourage students to contact a school administrator or teacher if they are worried about a situation or something they have seen, or use the anonymous alerts app if they prefer," the post reads. "We ask families to reinforce this message at home as well. We will also be reminding students about the possible consequences of making false alarms or other inappropriate behaviors at school."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Norwalk Police Department via their tip line at 203-854-3111. Anonymous Internet tips can be sent to Norwalk police through the department's website, and anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing "NORWALKPD" into the text field followed by the message and sending it to TIP411 (847411).