The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Children terrified as hoax caller makes bomb claim.
CRIME: Fife school evacuated as police investigate threats made across Scotland
Fife children were left terrified as a series of threats were made to schools across the country.
Glenrothes High School was evacuated following what is understood to have been a hoax call claiming a bomb had been planted.
The Napier Road school was among a number targeted in Scotland, believed to include others in Fife.
Police launched an investigation into the threats, which they said were being treated with utmost seriousness.
Youngsters were evacuated at around 12.50pm yesterday, as police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene.
One parent said her child was too frightened to return once the drama was over.
She said: “My daughter and her friends were hysterical. I had to go and pick her up because they were too scared to go back in to school.”
When she arrived at 1.20pm the gates were taped off by police and blocked by fire engines.
She said: “We haven’t been told anything but I think the school acted really quickly. The priority was to get the kids out rather than inform parents.”
Her daughter, a third year pupil, said pupils assembled outside as they would for a fire alarm but were told to move further away from the building to the opposite end of the playing field.
She said: “The police were talking to the teachers. Nobody had a clue what was going on.”
It is understood rector Avril McNeill visited every class afterwards to speak to pupils.
A text issued to parents later said: “We were one of a number of schools across Scotland who received a threat via telephone today. The school was evacuated for a short time.
“The school takes issues concerning security extremely seriously and despite the minor disruption to the school day, took this action to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.”
The message included a statement issued by Police Scotland.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: “A number of secondary schools across Scotland have today received a threat via telephone.
“Officers from Police Scotland attended each school and nothing of concern has been found.
“Police inquiries are at an early stage and will continue.
“There has been excellent engagement between police and schools over the years in regard to when calls of this nature are received, and the response and assistance provided by each of these schools has been excellent in ensuring an appropriate response and quick reporting.
“Although there is no information to substantiate any of these threats at this time, we are treating this with the utmost seriousness and a thorough investigation is underway.”
Councillor Kathleen Leslie, Conservative education spokeswoman on Fife Council, said: “I hope they get to the bottom of this very quickly and find out who is behind this to provide reassurance to staff and pupils.
“We live in times where these things are not always hoaxes.”
Fife Council said it could not confirm whether other schools in the region were targeted.
My daughter and her friends were hysterical. I had to go and pick her up because they were too scared to go back into school