Schools address email threats

Some Sanders County school districts received email threats late Tuesday, but law enforcement said the threats were not credible.

Administrators at Thompson Falls and Hot Springs schools received bomb threat emails around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Thompson Falls Superintendent Bud Scully said he did not see the email until the morning because it went to his spam folder. Scully said the threat was not credible. “We notified law enforcement and the Montana Attorney General has been notified as well,” Scully said Wednesday. “We do everything we can to keep kids safe. We’re vigilant on what we do and keep our eyes open. If we thought it was an actual threat we would take the necessary steps and precautions.”

Thompson Falls Police Chief Chris Nichols said the threat was sent to multiple schools in the state and has been reported to the state level. “I’ll still be doing walkthroughs at the schools to ensure safety and put people’s minds at ease.”

Hot Springs Superintendent Gerald Chouinard notified parents late Tuesday that an email threat had been received. “We want to assure you that we are actively in communication with our partners in law enforcement to address this matter with the utmost seriousness and diligence,” Chouinard wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. “While we want to emphasize that the threat is not believed to be credible, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community remain our top priority. As a precautionary measure, we have taken necessary steps to ensure the security of our school facilities.”

At Plains School, staff discovered a malicious email Wednesday afternoon that had been blocked by the school servers. Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Walsh said the school notified local police, but there was no credible threat.