HARTWELL, Ga. – Authorities have cleared Hart County Middle School following an investigation into a reported bomb threat that prompted a schoolwide evacuation Tuesday morning.
Hart County Schools spokesperson Grayson Williams notified parents by email that students were evacuated “out of an abundance of caution” and asked parents not to come to the school or attempt to pick up students, warning that doing so could interfere with emergency operations.
According to Hart County Sheriff Chris Carroll, Hart County 911 was notified at about 8:15 a.m. by the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center of a reported bomb threat at the school. Deputies with the Hart County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Hartwell Police Department responded immediately, and the school was evacuated as a precaution.
Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including county and city fire departments, emergency management officials, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Bomb-detecting K-9 units from several agencies, along with GBI bomb technicians, conducted a thorough search of the entire school. No suspicious devices or items were found, Carroll said.
At about 1:30 p.m., school staff were cleared and allowed to return to the building.
Carroll commended school administrators, teachers and staff for what he described as a smooth and orderly evacuation, and thanked parents for their patience and cooperation during student pickup. He also praised the responding agencies for their coordinated effort.
The information was shared with Now Habersham by a concerned parent and confirmed through a copy of the district’s email and a social media post from the sheriff’s office.
The incident remains under investigation by the Hartwell Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
