Northwest Junior High in Coralville reports second bomb threat in two days

CORALVILLE — Northwest Junior High in Coralville received another bomb threat Friday morning, after evacuating for a threat Thursday, according to emails sent to parents from the Iowa City Community School District.

The Coralville Police Department was called about the threat at 7:56 a.m. Friday. Police conducted a sweep of the school building, located at 1507 8th St., and cleared students and staff to safely enter before school was scheduled to start.

Both days, the threat came as emails sent to several teachers and staff at the school. Coralville Police Chief Shane Kron said police believe the threats came from the same person both times. Police have not yet identified who sent the emails.

Thursday the threats came after school had already started, and students were evacuated and relocated to the Coralville Recreation Center for a short period of time while police searched the building.

No bombs were found either day.

Parents were given the option to pick their children up from school Friday morning if they chose.

“As always, student and staff safety is our highest priority. We continue to work with local law enforcement to investigate these threats and ensure our buildings are safe for all students and staff,” District Superintendent Matt Degner said in an email sent to parents Friday.

A dance that was scheduled Friday night at the school was postponed as a result of the threats. Students were required to be in attendance at school Friday in order to attend the dance, but since many parents picked their students up early because of the bomb threats, the school decided to host the dance at a later date, according to an email sent to parents by the school’s principal, Kimberly Fitten.

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