Bomb scare prompts search of Whitman school in Wauwatosa

Oct. 30, 2013

A message left on the girls bathroom wall at Whitman Middle School on Oct. 24 referenced a bomb and the date Oct. 29, prompting police and bomb-sniffing dogs to search the school Monday evening and students as they entered the building this morning, according to Wauwatosa Police Lt. Christopher Fox.

The message was found after school Oct. 24 by a student, prompting a police investigation, Superintendent Phil Ertl said. Since there was no school on Friday for class development, there were no class cancellations.

Bomb-sniffing dogs from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office searched the school on Oct. 28 and found no traces of explosives, Fox said. Each of the district's four school resource officers were on site Oct. 29, checking students and their belongings for explosives. No explosives or weapons were found.

Parents were notified via email, letters and phone calls Oct. 25 and again on Oct. 28, Ertl said. They were given the option of an excused absence for their children due to the threats.

Police are working with the school district to investigate. Neither Ertl nor Fox would say if there was a suspect.

"The main goal is to make sure our students and staff are safe and are able to carry on what's going on in the school day," Ertl said. "We encourage our parents to talk to their children to talk about the ramifications of making a threat like this."

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