Officials: Columbia High students evacuated due to ‘possible bomb threat’; no suspicious devices found

Students were evacuated Tuesday from Columbia High School due to a “possible bomb threat,” according to the Columbia County School District.

Officials said all students are safe, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said no suspicious devices were found.

The school district said that shortly after 11:30 a.m., administrators at the high school were notified of the threat at the school, and students were immediately evacuated to the school’s stadium.

The Sheriff’s Office said it learned of a “possible explosive device” at the school around the same time. While a device was not initially located, deputies said, it was determined that a more thorough search of the campus was necessary, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad was requested.

“Due to the extensive nature of the investigation,” the school district said, students were then moved to the rodeo area at the Columbia County fairgrounds to be picked up by their parents.

“CCSO worked closely with personnel from the school district and other area agencies to follow established evacuation protocols,” the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.

Parents were asked to access the area from Branford Highway (State Road 247) to Mary Ethel Lane. Parents were also asked to bring their identification to check out their children.

A search of the campus was conducted using specialized K-9 teams with the bomb squad, and no suspicious devices or packages were located, deputies said.

Due to the incident, according to the school district, transportation was not be provided Tuesday afternoon for students at any school except Pathways Academy. Once Columbia High was officially cleared, those with vehicles on campus were able to go pick them up.

“We appreciate the cooperation between our employees, students, parents, and all first responders who assisted in this incident today,” Columbia County Superintendent Lex Carswell said. “We remain committed to the safety of our campuses, and while this situation was not ideal, we are grateful that everyone went home safely at the end of the day. We train for these situations and will continue to evaluate our protocols and make improvements where necessary.”

“Although these situations can be alarming, I am thankful for the partnerships we have with every agency involved to ensure the safety of our children. Our safety protocols were tested and were successfully implemented through this team effort,” said Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter. “At this time, the campus is as safe as we can possibly determine and we will continue to work with school officials to make our children feel safe when they return to school tomorrow and in the future.”

The school district said that at this time, it feels there are no other threats to its schools. The district also tweeted that schools will be open and will resume normal schedules on Wednesday.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate. Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Detective Division at 386-758-1095.