MAHANOY CITY -- For the third time in two weeks, students in a Schuylkill County district were dismissed early from school after a threat was found inside a school building.
Students in Mahanoy Area were sent home early again after another threat was found in the middle school.
This was the first time that the building was evacuated before the dismissal.
More than 1,000 Mahanoy Area students were forced out of their school buildings Tuesday morning.
Mahanoy City police blocked the entrance to campus, as police investigated another threat found at the middle school, the third one in two weeks.
"It's pretty scary because I don't like it," said first grader Kayla Birrer.
Two weeks ago, threats were found in two bathrooms in the middle school.
Mahanoy City police say they found another on Tuesday and the wording of the newest threat was different.
A high school student says administrators came into the building and told students they would be evacuating all the schools.
"It's kind of scary. I'm worrying about my brother, my cousins, and trying to get in touch with my mom. It's a lot to take in," said senior Noel Kaufman.
Mahanoy City police say this threat prompted an evacuation of the schools. All students in the district were taken down the street where they could be picked up by bus and by their parents at a fire house or church.
"It's a good thing they're out of the school because you don't know what's going to happen, if anything."
Dave Loftus is a parent of a first grader. He says the dismissals have been chaotic but thanks the teachers for their hard work. He hopes the person or people responsible will come forward soon.
"You would think kids would talk! Kids talk to other kids, but it seems like it's a tight-lip thing going on here," Loftus said.
After the previous threats, school officials canceled all extracurricular activities for middle school students until the person behind the threats was caught.
Students say they're not sure who is doing it, but they want it to stop.
"We don't hear much, except if we have siblings in the middle school, they'll say who they think it was. And they did think they knew who it was, but obviously not," said senior Giavanna Hannon.
Police say they are investigating the threats and will have a police presence at the Mahanoy Area schools Wednesday morning.
