Mercer Island schools, police discuss implications after bomb threat, evacuation at IMS

Students at Islander Middle School were evacuated last week after a bomb threat was reported.

January 3, 2018 12:30 pm
Mercer Island parents line up outside the Community Center to be reunited with their students after a bomb threat at Islander Middle School on Jan. 3. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte
Mercer Island parents line up outside the Community Center to be reunited with their students after a bomb threat at Islander Middle School on Jan. 3. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte

Islander Middle School was evacuated due to a bomb threat on Jan. 3.

According to the Mercer Island School District (MISD), all students were safe and were moved to the field adjacent to the school. Buses took them to the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 SE 24th St., where parent-student reunification took place.

Islander Middle School parents were asked to go to the Mercer Island Community and Event Center to pick up their students. According to the city of Mercer Island, parents should bring photo identification, and park in designated parking spots only to keep streets and driveways clear.

Because of its proximity to IMS, Lakeridge Elementary went into a modified lockdown. This locked all exterior doors and keeps students inside, but students could still move freely inside, and the school day continued as usual, with dismissal at the regularly scheduled time.

This is the fourth reported threat in Mercer Island schools over the past few months. Most recently, Mercer Island High School was evacuated after a bomb threat on Dec. 14.

Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) Services Commander Jeff Magnan wrote in a press release that police were notified about the incident at 11 a.m.

“The nature of the threat was a note,” he wrote. “Police arrived and assisted school staff. Out of an abundance of caution, the Mercer Island School District made the decision to evacuate Islander Middle School of students and staff.”

MIPD assisted with the evacuation, and the city’s Emergency Operations Center was activated to assist the school district. MIPD, Washington State Patrol, district staff and city staff helped with the reunification of students at the community center.

Police and district staff conducted a search of IMS, deeming the school safe. The investigation into identifying the responsible party is ongoing, Magnan wrote.

On Jan. 5, MISD Superintendent Donna Colosky and MIPD Chief Ed Holmes wrote a statement about the IMS bomb threat and other recent incidents, which “caused a great deal of concern and disruption in our Island community.”

“Throughout each event we worked together to communicate accurate information to the community as soon as possible and keep student safety our highest priority,” they wrote.

They said that the students involved would not be identified, but may face consequences including having a conviction on their record.

See www.mercerislandschools.org for more.

This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 3, and at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.

All students were safe after the bomb threat at Islander Middle School, and were moved to the field adjacent to the school before being transported to the Community Center. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte

All students were safe after the bomb threat at Islander Middle School, and were moved to the field adjacent to the school before being transported to the Community Center. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte

Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte Parents line up outside the reunification center after the bomb threat.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte Parents line up outside the reunification center after the bomb threat.

The lines inside the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte

The lines inside the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. Photo courtesy of Jeff Otte