Northwest Junior High bomb threats last week ‘not credible’

CORALVILLE — Bomb threats called in to Northwest Junior High School last week were part of a nationwide effort to cause disruption and panic in schools and draw attention to the availability of the book “This Book is Gay” in school libraries, Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner said.

In an email to parents Wednesday, Degner said the threats were not credible. “We understand the feelings of fear and anxiety they may cause,” he said.

Coralville Police Chief Shane Kron said the book “This Book is Gay” was not specifically mentioned in the emails. The department’s investigator believes it is “reasonably likely” it is the reason Northwest Junior High was targeted, Kron said in an email to The Gazette Wednesday.

“This Book is Gay,” written by Juno Dawson, is a non-fiction young adult book written to help young people who are beginning to explore their gender, according to the author.

The book has been temporarily removed from the Iowa City school library system and is currently going through the book reconsideration process outlined in the school board policies.

“Sadly, we realize that school safety continues to be at the forefront of the nation’s attention with yet another tragic situation in Nashville,” Degner said in his email, referencing a school shooting on March 27, at a private school in Nashville where at least six people were killed.

“Our work in this area will not stop as we continuously evaluate our comprehensive emergency plans, security measures, preventive practices, and training to help ensure we maintain safe learning and work environments for our students and staff,” Degner said.

Northwest Junior High was evacuated twice last week — Thursday and Friday — in response to bomb threats. Both days, the bomb threat to the school, 1507 Eighth St., Coralville, were emails sent to several teachers and staff.

Degner said the emails were sent by the same person and nearly identical to two separate bomb threat messages received by a school district in New York on the same day. That threat — at Hilton Central School District in New York — was also investigated and deemed not credible.

The Coralville Police Department has stated it has no reason to believe this is a local threat and there is no danger to students or staff.

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.

Friday, police were called about the treat at 7:56 a.m. Police conducted a sweep of the school building and cleared students and staff to safely enter before school was scheduled to start.

No bombs were found either day.

The threat comes at a time when Iowa lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit school libraries from including books that are not “age appropriate,” barring any books that contain sexual content.

When any district removes a book, the state Education Department would add it to a “removal list,” and all of Iowa’s 326 other districts would have to deny access to the book unless parents gave approval, according to Senate File 496, passed by Iowa House Republicans last week.

Emily Andersen contributed to this report.

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