ROLAND, Okla. — Roland Public Schools (RPS) warned parents on Tuesday, Oct. 22, to not drop off their children at school due to a bomb threat.
This is the second bomb threat that the school district received in two weeks and the third threat overall this month. RPS said police worked to clear the buildings.
"About 7:15 a.m. we received another threat from the online platform, from the 988 number, which is the suicide hotline, that there was another bomb threat placed at the school," Lt. Tyler Ragan with the Roland Police Department said.
Ragan said the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Sequoyah County Sherriff's Department, District 27 Drug Task Force, and the FBI joined the Roland Police Department in the investigation.
At this time, Ragan said the FBI has taken over the investigation and is looking to track down IP addresses to figure out who exactly is involved.
"We're going to do everything in our powers to make sure that the school and the faculty are safe, as well as the students," Ragan said. "We'll take every measure we have to to make sure that that's done right."
On Tuesday morning, RPS alerted parents who had already dropped off their children to pick them up in front of the Ranger Dome. Students who rode the bus could be picked up at the Roland Police Department.
The district sent out the following statement about the threat:
"Roland Public Schools in coordination with all law enforcement agencies are working diligently to ensure the safety of all students and staff. At this time, RPS can not comment, as this is an ongoing active investigation. However, once the investigation has been completed a statement will be issued."
Out of caution, the district said the middle school and junior varsity football games scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled and will not be rescheduled.
"It is a disruption, but at this time, we're going to take every precautionary measure to make sure that the staff and the students are safe within the school," Ragan said. "So if it means we're going to lock down and have a big presence, as we do right now, and as we did Thursday, that's what we're going to do every time. We're going to take it as serious as possible."
A day after the latest threat was made, the Roland Police Department said they are offering a $5,000 reward for any information that could lead to the arrest of the person or people who made the threats.
If you have any information, contact the Roland Police Department at (918) 427-3252 or the department's 24/7 anonymous tip line at (918) 772-7568.
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