BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Students at Patton High School in Burke County were sent home Monday while officials investigated two “suspicious objects” found on campus.
As students walked through the doors on the first day of the new school year, a staff member at the high school noticed one item in the front of the school around 7 a.m. and reported it, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s crazy. We can’t be safe anywhere,” Sylvia Aguilar, a mother of a student at the school, told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty.
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Students were evacuated to the football field while officials investigated and were eventually dismissed for the rest of the day “out of an abundance of caution,” the BCSO says.
“It’s awful for them. Especially the freshman. It’s the first time going to high school, and they’re already nervous as it is,” said another mother, Brandy McCurry.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Bomb Squad used a robot to investigate the items, a bag and a metal canister. They say no explosives were found in either.
PRO Cheryl Shuffler called families in the morning when students and staff evacuated.
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“Law enforcement is investigating a suspicious object that has been found on Patton’s campus this morning. The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority and we are taking all precautions necessary and following law enforcement’s lead,” Shuffler told parents.
A deciding factor to end the first day of school before noon was the fact that it was too late in the morning for cafeteria staff to prepare food for lunch.
“I think it’s just somebody laid something down. I don’t know how real it is. But I think they’re doing the safe thing by letting everyone go home,” Charles Hurst, a stepfather to a student, said.
The Burke County Sheriff’s office, Morganton Department of Public Safety, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Bomb Squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Burke Emergency Management responded to the school to investigate.
They are reviewing video footage and continuing to investigate the items.
School is expected to continue as scheduled Tuesday.
Anybody with information is asked to call the Burke County Sheriff’s Office at 828-438-5500.
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