GFW Schools evacuated

Students at both GFW High School in Winthrop and GFW Elementary School in Gibbon were evacuated from the buildings on Wednesday morning, February 2.

GFW Superintendent Jeff Horton and GFW School Resource Officer and interim Winthrop Police Chief Aron Hacker confirmed that a potential bomb threat was received through social media shortly before school began on Wednesday.

The crisis plan was put into action and the crisis team activated. Students were taken to safe sites off campus, according to Horton.

Police quickly identified the person responsible for making the threat.

The suspect was detained and admitted to sending the threat but said they had no intention of doing anything, according to Hacker.

Horton said that the team determined that there was no longer a threat but law enforcement continued to sweep the building to make sure there was no further threat. Once that was determined, students and staff were able to re-enter the school buildings.

During this time, parents were able to pick up their children at the safe sites. Those students that were not picked up were allowed back into the classrooms.

Assisting Hacker was the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office in Winthrop and the Gibbon Police Department in Gibbon.