Western Pike Official Says Buses Should Have Been Moved Off-Site During Wednesday's Bomb Threat

- Advertisement -

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — A Western Pike Local Schools official said Wednesday that the district should have moved its buses off-site during the bomb threat that hit the Latham campus that morning, and took responsibility for the decision to keep them there.

In a statement posted to the district’s Facebook page around midday, the official said two deputies were on site along with school staff after the building was secured. The official wrote that it was their decision to keep the buses at the school after personally checking rooms in the high school and junior high gym, while other staff members checked the elementary and Mr. Fields checked all of the hallway cameras.

“I checked those places closest to the bus parking area first but I still should’ve moved the buses,” the statement said. “Any criticism falls directly on me for that decision.”

“In retrospect I should’ve sent the buses off-site,” the official wrote, adding that with many parents expected to arrive, the goal was to let families pick up their children “in the most efficient way possible.”

The statement noted that all county schools received threats at the same time Wednesday morning.

The official also addressed concerns that schools could grow complacent as threats continue. “I understand parents’ concerns,” the statement said, before adding that the district “will take every threat seriously and follow the same protocol whether it’s the 2nd or 50th threat.”

The official said the morning gave the district “a very clear understanding of how to quickly and safely use technology and physical checks” to keep students and staff safe.

Many parents responding to the post praised the Western staff for their handling of the morning.

Officials have not said how the threats were delivered or whether anyone has been identified. No arrests had been announced as of Wednesday afternoon.

Read our earlier coverage: Bomb Threats Hit Schools Across Pike County Wednesday Morning; Piketon Closes for the Day.

Photo: Western High School, Latham. Aesopposea / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized).

Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com.

Get the morning stories.

- Advertisement -