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Officials: threat at Panther Valley High unfounded

Panther Valley High School officials say there is no danger to students after someone wrote a threat on a wall of a bathroom in the school.

The threat, which has not been specified, came after two other unfounded threats at Carbon County schools this week.

Panther Valley High school students were to be dismissed at the normal time Wednesday, according to school officials.

School and law enforcement officials implemented the school's emergency protocol plan after finding "something scribbled on the wall of a boys' restroom" late Wednesday morning, district superintendent Dennis R. Kergick Sr. said.

"The threat was hardly even a threat, no credibility there," Kergick said in an email.

The school was never officially dismissed during the threat, but students were temporarily moved to Panther Valley Intermediate School while school and law enforcement officials conducted a search of the building.

After a search of the school, concentrated on a specific area that officials did not identify, the "all clear" was given around 1 p.m.

High school classes were able to resume at that time.

Kergick said it's the district's obligation to investigate threats, no matter how credible, or not, they are.

"The district put into action its emergency protocol plan. The district plan emphasizes a specific set of procedures geared towards effective crisis management," he said. "The PVSD works very hard to provide a safe learning environment."

Unfounded bomb threats were also reported at Jim Thorpe High School on Monday and Lehighton Area Middle School on Tuesday.