Alaska schools stay open after bomb threat email

Alaska schools are not closing their doors after multiple districts received a bomb threat by email on Tuesday. Authorities have determined the threat is not credible, but its source is under investigation.

Austin McDaniel, communications director for the state’s Department of Public Safety, said Alaska State Troopers and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Anchorage field office are investigating.

“We take every threat seriously,” he said. “We take the safety of students very seriously. So every threat is an ‘all hands on deck’ situation to determine if it is credible.”

Officials have characterized the threat as “broad” and lacking in specific information.

McDaniel said local law enforcement works with school districts to determine the credibility of such threats.

“This is not the first time multiple Alaska schools have gotten a bomb threat on the same day,” he said, but added that it is uncommon in Alaska for a threat to come to so many areas in the state.