CIBOLO, Texas – Classes at Steele High School were canceled Wednesday after receiving a “pre-recorded” bomb threat, the Cibolo and Schertz police departments said.
The voicemail, left on a school phone at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday but not discovered until 7:38 a.m. Wednesday, said multiple bombs had been planted on campus, according to Cibolo police.
Officers and school administrators safely evacuated all those who were already on campus, Cibolo police said, as classes were canceled prior to the school day. Students en route on school buses were rerouted to Clemens High School for pickup.
Comal County deputies, San Antonio police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a comprehensive search of the school with Cibolo police, and the campus was deemed clear at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The case was not isolated, as Cibolo police said schools across the state received similar messages. Schertz police said similar calls occurred “nationwide.”
The Cibolo Police Department said it is investigating alongside local, state and federal law enforcement partners, as well as the Southwest Texas Fusion Center.
There will be an increased presence of law enforcement at Steele High School on Thursday, Cibolo police said, as an added precaution.
The district released the following letter Wednesday morning:
This morning, Steele High School received a voicemail making a bomb threat. Out of an abundance of caution, the campus was evacuated and school was cancelled for the day to allow law enforcement to conduct a thorough sweep of the building. Students and staff who were on campus were safely evacuated, and those en route on a bus were redirected for pickup from Samuel Clemens High School.
We are working closely with local law enforcement. At this time, no other SCUC campuses are impacted, and all other schools are operating on their regular schedule.
We understand situations like this can create concern. Please know that student and staff safety remains our highest priority, and we will continue to provide updates as appropriate.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership.
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD spokesperson
In a Wednesday statement from Schertz police, a spokesperson told KSAT the bomb threat did not impact “SCUC ISD schools” in Schertz but confirmed that “other school districts nationwide have also received bomb threats.”
The SCUC ISD spokesperson also said there was a brief evacuation at Clemens High School after an employee “inadvertently set off the system, which initiated the evacuation of the campus.”
“The students returned to campus after the all clear was given approximately ten minutes later,” the spokesperson said.
Another San Antonio-area school district that received a bomb threat Wednesday was Boerne High School. According to Boerne police, “no credible threat was found” at the school.
In a statement Wednesday morning, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District acknowledged its “main phone line” received a “voicemail threat that did not specify any particular school or county.”
“Even though Uvalde CISD was not specifically mentioned in the threat, we ask everyone to remain vigilant,” said the district, which increased police patrols.
Police in Schertz also told residents, “If they see something suspicious, please call 911.”
“At this time, we believe this is a concerted effort similar to a SWATTING incident call,” Schertz police said, in part. “There is no current intelligence to believe these threats are credible. Out of an abundance of caution, we have increased our police presence at all of our schools.”
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