Students reported threatening graffiti in a women’s bathroom Thursday morning, according to Principal Greg Schwab. He said that Mountlake Terrace police determined that the threat was not credible, so administrators based their decisions on what the police recommended.

The message was vague and did not address any specific target for violence. In a letter sent home with students this afternoon, Schwab stated that part of the message included “too late, bombs away.”

After the initial threat was reported, the exact same message was found in another women’s bathroom in the school. Schwab said it’s likely the same person did both threats, as they were written in very similar handwriting.

MTHS administrators are working with the Mountlake Terrace Police Department (MLTPD) to determine who is responsible for the graffiti, but Schwab said it “will be like finding a needle in a haystack.” He also said that if anyone knows anything about the incident to let a teacher or administrator know.

If the person is found, Schwab said that administrators would talk to the suspect and her family to establish that this kind of behavior is not appropriate, nor can it be tolerated, as it created a substantial disruption in the school day.

This is not a unique event, however. According to Schwab’s letter, there were similar events at two other Edmonds School District campuses Thursday.

In addition, bomb threats were found in different bathrooms at Glacier Peak High School on two consecutive days earlier this week, forcing students to evacuate, and there was another bomb threat at Ferndale High School via Snapchat Wednesday.

“[These events] are frustrating because they interfere with our sense of safety,” Schwab said.

Schwab believes this has been happening so frequently because “people are finding they can get a response.” He said that if you know someone who is struggling, let school officials such as counselors, teachers, or administrators know so that they can get them help rather than make threats.