Multiple schools in Arlington were evacuated Tuesday morning after receiving bomb threats, sending students at one elementary campus onto buses bound for a nearby high school while fire crews combed the building for danger. First responders reported no injuries, and officials said there was no information indicating the threats were credible, though the source and exact nature of the calls remained unclear hours into the response.
According to FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, the Arlington Police Department is assisting the fire department in investigating the threats. At Ditto Elementary, school officials are temporarily relocating all students to Martin High School by bus while the Arlington Fire Department searches and clears the building.
Parents Told to Wait for Further Word Before Pickup
Arlington ISD asked parents not to go to Martin High School to pick up their students until they receive further communication from the district, the station's report notes. The instruction suggests the relocation effort was still unfolding as of Tuesday morning, with no timeline yet given for when families could reunite with their kids or when normal operations might resume.
Not every Arlington campus affected by the morning's scare remained closed. Students at Swift Elementary School and The Oakridge School had already returned to class following an earlier evacuation, per the same account, suggesting those searches wrapped up faster than the one still underway at Ditto.
No Word Yet on Who Made the Calls
Authorities have not said who called in the threats or exactly when students will be able to return to class, leaving open questions for families across the district. The uncertainty echoes a string of similar incidents that have rattled North Texas and the wider state in recent months.
Just days earlier, on October 22, Dallas College's El Centro campus was evacuated after a reported bomb threat, according to The Dallas Morning News, which reported that police later determined the information was unfounded and students and staff returned to campus. In February, multiple Texas high schools, including campuses in San Antonio, were evacuated after bomb threats that authorities believed were part of a coordinated swatting-style hoax, as reported by Express-News. That report noted dozens of campuses across North Texas had been shut down by similar hoax threats the previous month, with none found to be credible.
Those February incidents followed a familiar pattern: Boerne High School was cleared to reopen at 8:45 a.m. after investigators found no credible threat, while Georgetown High School staff and students were evacuated over a voicemail bomb threat that turned up nothing suspicious, Express-News reported. In San Antonio, Churchill High School was evacuated after an unknown caller reported multiple bombs on campus, and police concluded their search and gave the all-clear by 10:20 a.m., according to KENS 5.
FBI Has Tracked Threats Targeting North Texas Schools
The FBI has previously said it is aware of online threats directed at various schools in the North Texas area, urging the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement immediately, per FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth's separate coverage of the regional pattern. Posting hoax threats to schools can put innocent people and first responders at risk, disrupt classes, and waste public resources, according to the FBI.
For now, Arlington families are left waiting on updates about Ditto Elementary while the fire department finishes clearing the building. FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth says it plans to provide updates as they come.
