Wyoming Area School District reviews evacuation, expands backpack policy after restroom threat

A written threat discovered on a bathroom wall at the Wyoming Area School District secondary center prompted an evacuation Sept. 23 and led district leaders to announce a series of changes to emergency procedures and family communications.

Superintendent John Pollard said the district evacuated the building, that law enforcement conducted a thorough investigation and found no credible threat, and that "Actions were taken out of an abundance of caution." He told the board the district received compliments from multiple levels of law enforcement "on how well the evacuation went" and described a debrief with administrators and police about improvements.

The threat prompted immediate operational changes. Pollard said the district will create templates for all-call messages to avoid delays, institute staggered announcements with specific reunification times and locations, review the all-call contact setup to ensure seventh- and eighth-grade families receive messages, improve bus and van signage to speed student routing at evacuations, and develop a family "tool kit" so students know home addresses, phone numbers and bus numbers.

Pollard also announced a change in practice for the secondary center: "We're gonna start allowing students in the secondary center to carry their backpacks throughout the day." He said the decision follows the district's use of bag scanners at entrances and availability of unlocking stations distributed by the vendor supplying student pouches (commonly called "Yonder" or "under" bags). Pollard added the district will permit backpacks so students can keep phones, house keys and other personal items with them.

Administration said the district paused opening students' locked pouches during the incident because an external message with false information was circulating online; the pause was intended to limit further misinformation during the response. Pollard described that occurrence as a factor in delaying the release of phones and pouches until students were in a safe, secured location.

Parents, students and staff used the public comment period to press the board on communication, reunification and procedures used during the evacuation. Parent Marina O'Reilly asked for clearer templates that identify reunification sites and urged reminders to students to carry keys and phones. Teacher Melissa Bowen said a social-media post from a teacher encouraging family conversations about meeting places was constructive: "That teacher suggested that students have a conversation with their parents. That says, if this happens, where do you want to meet me? Where should I go? What is your phone number in case I don't have my phone?" Bowen added that such conversations are important because evacuations can arise from multiple kinds of incidents beyond active-shooter scenarios.

Several parents and community members also raised concerns about students waiting at the evacuation site for an extended time, inconsistent bus numbers between district and CSIU information, teachers' conduct during the event, and the ability of staff to unlock the vendor pouches quickly. Superintendent Pollard acknowledged shortcomings — including delays in the all-call system that missed some contacts — and said the district is reviewing procedures and communications with law enforcement. He said the district is continuing its investigation into the source of the written threat and that, as of the meeting, officials were "fairly confident" there was no ongoing credible threat.

Board members and the district solicitor reported the district had debriefed with local and state police; no formal board action on policy changes was taken that night, but the administration listed the operational directions above as items to implement.

The district asked community members with concerns about staff behavior or specific incidents during the evacuation to provide contact information to the board secretary for follow up. The administration said it will circulate updated scripted messages, confirm placement and number of unlocking stations, and return to the board with recommendations on permanent changes to emergency procedures.

The district's steps are intended to reduce confusion in future incidents and speed reunification, while balancing the district's safety protocols and the need for accurate public information.