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Students are being allowed to return to Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club after a bomb threat put the campus on lockdown for roughly three hours Monday.
Northwest ISD Superintendent Ryder Warren said someone made a threat against the school Monday afternoon. The message indicated there was a person inside the school with a bomb strapped to them, so the campus was immediately placed on lockdown.
The district also locked down three other schools as a precaution for a short time.
Trophy Club police and the Denton County Sheriffs' Office responded. The bomb squad went inside the school and swept it for explosives and suspects. Meanwhile, parents rushed to the school as their children texted them from inside.
“You see the things on TV and you feel for those parents,” said Christina Whitley, a parent. “And then whenever it comes to your own child, it's very scary."
Students and staff were kept at school until shortly after 6 p.m. when police determined it was safe for them to leave. They were then evacuated floor by floor and given specific instructions.
"We were told we could only bring our phone, our wallet and our keys,” said Branden Scott, a student. “Then we had to leave our backpacks and everything. There was two SWAT members that came in there."
As students filed out of the school, parents waited and cheered. They embraced their kids as soon as they walked out.
Investigators were at Byron Nelson High School for most of the night to conduct additional sweeps of the classrooms and student book bags. The students who drove to school were also told to leave their vehicles on site until the bomb squad gave the “all clear.”
“As the superintendent of this district, know that we are very sorry our kids, staff, and parents had to deal with this today. I would also like to sincerely thank all of our law enforcement partners, our staff members, and our students and parents for such great behavior through all of this. Byron Nelson High School is a special campus, and the way all handled this stressful day showed that specialness,” Warren said.
The district is now working with law enforcement officials to find the person who made the threat.