Notes with "bomb" prompted lockdown at Wasilla high

WASILLA — A note with “bomb” written on it was found this morning in Wasilla High School, forcing the lockdown of classes and offices shortly after the school opened its doors.

A second note with “bomb 1:30” found in the same area as the first note added to the concern at the school.

Bomb-sniffing dogs from Fort Richardson were on the scene at 9:30 a.m. Wasilla Police Chief Angella Long and officers from the department were also at the scene. Vehicles labeled FBI could been seen parked in the school’s parking lot.

Students were confined to their rooms, but buses were standing by if an evacuation was necessary, said Catherine Esary, school district spokeswoman.

As of 12:30 p.m. an all clear had not been called, but administrators said their biggest problem had become dealing with more than 100 parents who showed up to pull their kids out of school.

Parents contacted by their children began showing up to the school en masse starting at 10 a.m. While the mood among parents began calm, after hours of waiting some parents became agitated and demanded the release of their children.

One woman stormed out of the school saying she was going to call the Alaska State Troopers to report her daughter was being held against her will.Ray Matherne, who waited for two hours to get his son from the school, said he thinks the school handled the situation “terribly.”

“They should have got the kids out of the building instead of putting more lives in jeopardy,” Matherne said.

Bob Hoffman, waiting inside the school’s main foyer, said it seems common sense to evacuate a school where a bomb is said to be. He said he didn’t know the reason students were locked down, however.

“I’m just being patient.”

Parents questioning why their kids could not leave became a common complaint as parents seemed to get more anxious with every passing moment.

Mark Okeson, an assistant principal at the school, told a group of parents the Wasilla police and Fort Richardson bomb squad was in charge and the lockdown was so students would not distract bomb sniffing dogs.

By noon, the dogs had done two sweeps of the school, and were still searching when a stream of students from portable classrooms and other, cleared areas of the building were allowed to leave.

Esary said students who left school do not have to come back, and those who stay will resume normal classes when the lockdown is over.

When the note was printed off a printer was not known, either last night or this morning. Esary said a school librarian found the first note, but she did not know who found the second one.

There is a $500 reward posted if any students know who wrote the note.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.