No threat was found after police responded to a bomb threat made by phone Tuesday at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy.
The school and the adjacent Chattanooga Preparatory School and nearby Montessori Elementary at Highland Park were evacuated while a bomb squad searched the block, academy CEO Elaine Swafford said by phone Tuesday. Students and faculty were sent to a nearby gym to wait for about an hour, Chattanooga Police Sgt. Mark Bender said at the scene.
Parents were notified when students were evacuated and again when they were allowed to return to school, Swafford said.
About 1,000 students attend the three schools, Swafford said.
Bailey Avenue was closed around the school for around 45 minutes to an hour on Tuesday afternoon, bystanders said around 1:30 p.m.
The threat was made in a phone call to the school around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Swafford said later that afternoon. It's unknown who made the threat or whether the person is a student at any of the schools that were evacuated.
"We got a call, we took that and hit the alarm system," she said. "Police were here responding really quickly, cleared it, and we're back in the building."
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.