Several Catholic schools across Johnson County received bomb threats Friday morning, prompting evacuations and early dismissals, though police departments are calling the threats a hoax.
In a statement, the Olathe Police Department said they evacuated Prince of Peace Catholic School, 16000 W. 143rd St., after it received a threatening call.
Officers and Fire Department personnel cleared the building and found no active danger. Police later determined the call was “unfounded.”
“The Olathe Police Department takes all threats against schools in our community seriously as the safety and security of children there is our priority,” the statement reads. “We are currently investigating the origin of the call.”
The school posted on Facebook that its campus is closed “until further notice.”
Other Johnson County Catholic schools reported similar incidents.
In Leawood, Nativity Parish received a bomb threat via voicemail, according to a statement put out by the Leawood Police Department. Students at the parish school were released early “out of an abundance of caution,” and police said there was no credible threat.
Overland Park Police also responded to a reported threat near Barton and West 103rd streets, where Holy Spirit Catholic School is located.
“All indications at this point lead us to believe that the threat is false,” police said in a statement.
Multiple sources also reported that St. Agnes Catholic School in Roeland Park and Ascension Catholic School in Overland Park also received threats.
The Superintendent Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas confirmed the threats in a statement and said that students and staff were safe.
“Law enforcement continues to investigate, and we are following their guidance closely,” the archdiocese said in the statement.
Catholic schools in Miami, Wyandotte, Shawnee and Franklin counties also received similar threats, according to the statement.
Olathe Public Schools did not receive any threats, district officials told the Post, though Olathe police advised administrators to contact the district’s Safety Services team if they received any calls.
