Written bomb threat closes Jefferson Forest High School on Thursday 

A written bomb threat found inside Jefferson Forest High School in Forest sent students home early Thursday after the building was evacuated.

The school remained closed for about five hours while law enforcement searched it .

According to a news release from the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, a student reported to a teacher at 11:11 a.m. that there was a threat written on a wall in the boys restroom. School administration and the school resource officer were made aware of the threat and the building was evacuated, according to the release.

School system spokesman Ryan Edwards said students were taken to the school’s football field. Once officials determined inclement weather was approaching and the investigation was going to take longer than anticipated, students were taken across the street to Forest Elementary School, Edwards said.

Jefferson Forest students were dismissed early from the elementary school. Edwards said instruction at the elementary school was not interrupted, but there was severe traffic congestion in the area Thursday afternoon. Parents were notified of the situation via automated phone call.

According to the sheriff’s office new release, law enforcement personnel and explosive-detecting police dogs from multiple jurisdictions searched the building, which was later deemed safe.

The school reopened at 4 p.m. to resume after-school activities. Students could also retrieve their belongings, Edwards said.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff’s office.

Earlier this week four schools in the Forest area, including Jefferson Forest, were placed on lockdown after a reported assault in the community. The sheriff’s office later said the incident could not be substantiated.

In nearby Roanoke, officials also reacted to a threat this week. It was directed at a school bus and a security staffer was placed on the bus in question as students traveled to and from school. An arrest in that incident was made Thursday.

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