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Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland, has been placed on lockdown after its principal received an emailed bomb threat, as confirmed by a Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman. Montgomery County police units are also at the school.
What happened?
Students at the nearby Newport Mill Middle School are also sheltering in place due to the threat, with students at the middle school being dismissed at the usual time. Police confirmed that Einstein’s dismissals will be delayed.
Montgomery County police said that an email threat claimed an explosive device outside the school. As mentioned, police are at the scene, searching the ground with dogs.
According to Bethesda Magazine, Gillian Huebner, whose son is a freshman at Einstein, said that her son texted her about the incident on social media:
“It’s horrible to get that text from your kid but I think the school system has done a remarkable job with communication, so I think that has calmed everybody down.”
UPDATE: As seen below, police have confirmed that no threat was found at the school and that they have ended their search. Dismissals are expected to go on soon.
What are officials saying?
Montgomery County Public Schools released the following statement on social media:
“This afternoon, Albert Einstein High School received a bomb threat. The school is currently on lockdown and county police are at the school conducting a thorough search. Dismissal will be delayed. We will provide an update once we receive additional information from police.”
“Hello. Albert Einstein High School is on lockdown and Newport Mill Middle School is in shelter in place. Parents at these schools will receive communication shortly.”
Montgomery County Police have also discussed the situation on social media:
“Officers have responded to Albert Einstein HS for threat sent via email to school staff about explosive device outside of building. K9s w/ explosive-detection skills conducting search outside of school now. Dismissal is being delayed until search complete. Will provide updates.”
“Update: The grounds of Albert Einstein High School have been searched and NO threat has been located. The search is complete. Dismissal will occur momentarily. @MCPS”
As this story is developing, more information will be updated as made available.