Dallas Bay Baptist students safe after bomb threat, evacuation

School literacy book reading tile
School literacy book reading tile

UPDATE: The bomb threat at Dallas Bay Church school has now been cleared and all students have been accounted for, sheriff's office spokesman Matt Lea said.

Teachers have been allowed to return to the classrooms, and any parents needing to pick up items from the school can contact Dawn Noles at 423-605-3512. She will be present at the school today from 4 to 6 p.m.

Parents going to the school for items should report to the front of the church.

While the threat has been cleared, sheriff's office detectives are continuing to investigate the source of the threat, Lea said.

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PREVIOUS STORY: The Dallas Bay Baptist Church school in Hixson has been evacuated after a reported bomb threat Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton County officials have confirmed.

All students are safe at this time, Matt Lea, spokesman for the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said.

About 150 pre-school and kindergarten students and faculty were bused to a nearby fire station, Ken Duggan, the church's senior pastor said.

Lea said traffic delays along Daisy Dallas Road, Camp Columbus and Hixson Pike should be expected for next hour or hour-and-a-half.

Parents picking up students from Loftis Elementary should also expect delays, he said, as some children are being held at a facility next to the elementary school.

No other schools are under threat, Lea said, but nearby schools have been notified out of an abundance of caution.

Parents should contact Dawn Noles at 423-605-3512 to find out more information about where to pick up students.

Duggan said the school received the threat of a bomb at around 12:33 p.m., and he immediately notified all staff that they would have to evacuate the building.

He was not yet able to discuss how the threat was delivered.

"It did feel kind of violated," Duggan said. "It's something you don't expect when you come in to work that day, but it was something we were prepared for."

The church school has a protocol in place about what to do in case of an emergency.

"I'm very proud of [the staff]," Duggan said. "They acted the way they were supposed to act and got those children out to safety as quickly as possible."

This is a developing story.

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