The exterior of Signal Mountain Middle High School on is seen in this photograph taken Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
A message scrawled on the wall of the boys bathroom purports to be a threat against Ooltewah High School. 
A photo submitted by several sources purports to show a threat scrawled on the wall of a boys bathroom at Ooltewah High School. More than 1,000 students – about 70 percent of the student body – were absent from Ooltewah High School on Tuesday after three shooting threats were found written on bathroom walls at the school days before.
Parents of students at the school said they were afraid to have their children attend Tuesday because of the threats, many voicing frustration over how school administrators handled the situation. Similar concerns were voiced by parents of students at Signal Mountain Middle High School, which also had a shooting threat last week.
The Hamilton County Department of Education released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying officials had spoken with Ooltewah High School Principal Jim Jarvis and no issues were reported at the school, noting many students were absent.
The statement said deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office investigated the threats and found them not to be credible, but extra deputies were present at the school Tuesday along with additional administrators.
“Please know that Hamilton County Department of Education and the Ooltewah High School administration take all threats seriously, and we will continue to strive for all campuses in our system to be as safe as possible,” the statement said. “We anticipate all students returning to regular classes tomorrow morning.”