Parent upset over conditions for students during bomb threat

LENOIR CITY, Tenn (WVLT) -- Several parents are angry after what happened at Lenior City Schools today during a bomb threat.

Some students sat outside without food and little water for 2 and a half hours.

School officials say they had no choice because the school was on lockdown.

A police cruiser sits outside Lenoir City High School after a bomb threat was made to the school around 1:00 p.m. Monday.

1260 students evacuated the building without their personal belongings and waited in the stadium until 3:30 p.m. when they were released.
Student Miranda Haney: "I was dehydrated i really needed water and i was tired."

Haney didn't get a chance to eat lunch before she left the school.

Neither did Thomas Borg, who says they didn't get much water to drink either. "It was really hot, no water. Water didn't come until maybe 3:00 pm."

Thomas's mother says she was concerned about her son's health.

"My son's asthmatic he's not the only one with health issues," Julie Borg told Volunteer TV News.

And on top of his health conditions, Julie says her son was told not to call her.

"Please don't tell my child he's not able to call his mom when there's a bomb threat at school and he's out there in the 93 degree heat," Borg said.

Superintendent Wayne Miller wouldn't go on camera, but told Volunteer TV there was a water fountain at the fieldhouse for the students.

He says the students couldn't get food because they weren't allowed inside the school.

And he says they weren't letting any kids leave because the police had the students secured and the school was on lockdown.

It's Volunteer TV's policy to evaluate bomb threats on a case by case basis.

In this case, we are broadcasting the information because of the complaints of a parent over the health of her children while they were outside the building for several hours while police investigated.

Miller says a bomb sniffing dog had to come from a neighboring county which is why the students were out of school for so long.

We will pass along any arrests in the case if they are made.

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8/19/08