MISSOULA — Schools in Western Montana are reporting that they have received bomb threats that law enforcement does not believe are credible.
Frenchtown Schools informed families on Wednesday that "last night around 75 plus schools received threatening emails. The Frenchtown School District was one of those districts."
Missoula County Public Schools issued the following statement on Wednesday, January 17, 2024:
MCPS Staff & Families,
MCPS is among dozens of Montana school districts that received a vague email bomb threat Tuesday night. The email did not specify a school or school district. Unfortunately, we do not have further details to share at this time.
Montana law enforcement do not believe the threat is credible but rather a hoax intended to cause disruption and concern across law enforcement and school systems in Montana. We are proceeding with school today and will be monitoring the situation closely, and we will update parents and staff immediately if we receive any important new information to share.
The safety of our staff and students is our highest priority. For more information on MCPS Emergency Response [mcpsmt.org] guidelines, please visit the District website. To share comments, concerns, questions or suggestions regarding school safety, please email safeschools@mcpsmt.org.
Thank you, Missoula County Public Schools
Kalispell Public Schools reports several school districts in the Flathead Valley received a similar threat. KPS Interim Superintendent Randy Cline stated, "...at this time, this notification is an informational and cautionary measure."
Lolo School sent a text to families on Wednesday morning stating that "schools across Montana received an email threat last night from a party claiming to be a foreign adversary." The School Resouce Officer checked the school and classes will take place as usual in Lolo.
Target Range School reports on social media that it also received a threatening email.
Victor School reports it received the bomb threat and is working with the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office. There will be an increased presence of law enforcement on campus on Wednesday in Victor.
Also in the Bitterroot, the Hamilton School District reported receiving a similar threat.
Thompson Falls Public Schools stated it received an email threat and stated on social media that, "After conferring with law enforcement and other state entities, the threat was found to not be credible."
Plains Schools also reported receiving an email threat.
Schools in Billings, Bozeman, Butte and Great Falls also reported receiving a threatening email on Wednesday.
