"I mean, what are the kids thinking? They have to deal with this," said Tom Conner as he waited to pick up his son.
Parents of 1000 evacuated kids from MillValleyMiddle School@line up to collect children following a bomb threat on campus. #abc7now. #millvalley pic.twitter.com/Z2Yq9ImBnW
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) November 27, 2018
The threat came in on a telephone message line at Mill Valley Middle School. Acting Mill Valley School Superintendent Raquel Rose describes an adult voice.
"It was brief. I could not tell if it was a man or a woman, but the voice clearly stated there was a bomb for sure."
The school initiated a yellow alert lockdown, for which they had practiced. No one imagined a bomb threat could become reality.
"It's frightening. It cannot happen in Mill Valley, and yet here we are," mused one mother.
As police from multiple agencies converged on the campus, staff evacuated 1,000 students to a nearby community center and messaged their parents. Before long, the line of worried parents stretched hundreds of feet around the building.
"Our kids have been conditioned and trained that this is the way our world works. That is sad," observed Sylvia Marino, the mother of an 8th grader.
Some of these parents have been standing in line for more than one hour. Mill Valley Middle School remains evacuated due to bomb threat. Police and fire remain on campus. #abc7now pic.twitter.com/EC8zVgKfwE
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) November 27, 2018
It's the United States of America in the 21st Century.
"This is the first time this has happened in our lifetime here," said another parent.
They hope it will be the last.
The shelter in place was lifted around 1:15 p.m. Police said more information about the incident will be released when it is available.
