Nyack High School: Threatening Graffiti Leads to Bomb Sweep, Evacuation

The word "bomb" scrawled on the wall of led to an evacuation this morning and a visit from and the .

The threatening graffiti was found indoors this morning by a student, who swiftly reported it to a faculty member, said Nyack High School principal Joseph Spero. The fire alarm was also pulled, though authorities do not know by whom.

"It was probably done to get the kids out of the building faster," said Harry Bauman, a sargeant with Clarkstown Police.

While students, teachers and administrators evacuated the school and waited on the football field, authorities swept the building for possible explosives. The Sheriff's Department brought in bomb-sniffing canines to aid the search; nothing was found, authorities reported.

A message sent to parents from Linda DeCiccio, Nyack Schools' secretary to the superintendent, notes the school followed a specific set of guidelines.

"Following our protocol, we evacuated the building [and] alerted local law enforcement, requesting their presence to review the matter and provide us with an all-clear so that we may return the students and staff to the building asap," DeCiccio wrote.

Spero noted it is the first bomb situation he has experienced in his two years with the district—the last one was about five years ago.

Students are back in the building and classes have resumed, Spero continued. He noted an investigation as to who wrote the graffiti is underway.