Under new policy, Broward schools won’t automatically evacuate after bomb threats

Public schools in Broward County are no longer being automatically evacuated if they receive bomb threats via phone, text or email, according to a new district policy.

The decision, laid out in a May 10 memo to sent to principals from the district’s head of safety and security, “came in regards to our constant evacuations of buildings during bomb threats,” Broward Superintendent Howard Hepburn said.

“We want to take a different approach,” he said.

The memo instructs principals and law enforcement to assess how credible the risk is before determining whether to move students out of buildings and onto football fields or other open areas.

“We wanted to change our approach just to make sure our students are safe and secure and not immediately evacuating the facility from a bomb threat,” Hepburn said.

The instruction by the district comes after a growing number of threats have already prompted more than 175 disruptions since late April.

Read more: WPLG (Miami, FL)