Bomb Threats Sent To Bucks Co. School Districts Deemed 'Noncredible'

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Bomb threats sent to the Central Bucks and New Hope-Solebury school districts on Thursday were quickly determined to be "noncredible" by the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC), which investigates threats in the Commonwealth.

The threats, which were emailed and copied to numerous school districts, claimed that bombs had been placed in school buildings.

In a letter sent to district families, the New Hope-Solebury School District wrote, "Today, our district received an email threat regarding explosives which had been allegedly placed in our schools. Many Bucks County schools were copied on this same email. The PA State Police have been notified and have deemed that the threat is not credible. The language of the email is identical to the information ... received by districts in the western part of the state."

The administrative offices of the New Hope-Solebury School District. (photo by Jeff Werner)

In an email sent to district parents, Central Bucks Superintendent Dr. Abram Lucabaugh called the incident "unsettling.

"Please know that the Central Bucks School District takes these situations seriously, and we work with our internal departments and external agencies to prioritize the safety of all students and
employees," the superintendent wrote.

"To that end, we have been in communication with local law enforcement, and our security personnel and operations staff conducted a sweep of our schools in an abundance of caution."

Lucabaugh called the incident a form of "swatting," which is the false reporting of a public safety emergency with the intent of getting a SWAT team to respond to a location where no emergency exists.

Similar incidents have been reported throughout Pennsylvania, first on Wednesday in Western Pennsylvania and then on Thursday in the eastern part of the state.

It was unclear how many schools across Pennsylvania received the email or whether the threat was confined to just schools.