OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas — Students were evacuated out of precaution Tuesday morning from Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge High School 9th Grade Campus near The Woodlands after someone phoned in a bomb threat, according to school officials.
Just after noon, the students were seen headed back inside the campuses, which are on Oak Ridge School Road just east of I-45.
In a letter sent out to parents, school officials said someone called claiming that they had planted bombs at the school. Police and K-9 units conducted a search.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Shenandoah and Oak Ridge North police departments responded to the scene.
Conroe ISD said the buildings were swept and cleared by police.
School officially let out just after 2 p.m. Parents and students were relieved there was no threat but frustrated because they said it's not the first time they've had to deal with threats being made at Oak Ridge HS. They said they went through a similar situation a couple of years ago.
Bill Kelley said he got the alert from the district via text. His son, Ethan Kelley, was in class at the time the alert went out.
"Our teacher let us go to the restroom ... when we were walking back, we saw a bunch of cops pull up and we heard on the announcements (about the threat)," Ethan Kelley said.
Bill Kelley said it took a while for him to feel relieved.
"I knew he was OK, once he was outside," Bill Kelley said. "It's always concerning and gut-wrenching when you get that text or notification that comes through on your phone."
Other parents were waiting to pick up their kids outside the schools. Gina Phillips, who has a senior and freshman, said she hopes they're able to catch whoever called in the threat. She also said she was thankful for the prompt response by police and school officials.
"I'm glad that they ... caught it early and we're able to go get our kids now," Phillips said. "It's too early in the school year to have to deal with this. I'm very upset."
Students said they were outside for less than an hour.
Officers said that in order to not make the students be outside longer than they had to, they cleared the main high school building first and then let the students back inside. Then, they cleared the second building.
Here is a statement sent after the incident:
"Thank you for your support today during our evacuation. Earlier today, a caller reported that bombs had been placed in the bathrooms at Oak Ridge High School. Law enforcement and campus administration immediately responded to evacuate the building and search for explosives. As you know, both Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge High School 9th Grade Campus were cleared with no bombs being found. Although no explosives were discovered, our explosives K-9 was on site throughout the afternoon.
"We want to thank the Conroe ISD Police Department, Shenandoah Police Department, Oak Ridge North Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, Montgomery County Hospital District, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Texas DPS and so many other agencies for their support during our evacuation and the investigation into the call.
"Early information from the investigation indicates that the individual who made the report was out of state. The Conroe ISD Police Department is working with local and federal law enforcement agencies to determine the source of the phone call. Anyone with information about this situation should contact the Conroe ISD Police Department at 936-709-8911. Individuals may make anonymous reports 24-hours a day to CISD's KidChat hotline at 1-888-KidChat (543-2428) or through our Anonymous Alerts app. To learn more, please visit our Safety Information webpage. The safety of the students and staff at our campus and across the District is our top priority."