Numerous public schools in Edina and the community center were closed for all of Wednesday in response to what the district superintendent said were voice mail messages that posed a potential safety threat.
A follow-up message Wednesday afternoon from Superintendent Stacie Stanley and Edina police said two girls were identified by police as responsible for the calls, and the schools will return to their normal schedules Thursday.
An automated districtwide phone alert from Stanley went out about 8:55 a.m. Wednesday notifying staff and student families about "two concerning messages" left earlier in the morning on the voice mail of Normandale Elementary School, located just east of Hwy. 100 and north of Hwy. 62.
Stanley's update said police in Edina and Bloomington were "able to identify one 10-year-old girl and one 11-year-old girl in connection to the voicemail statements."
Edina police added that the girls, whose identities were not disclosed, "have been released to their parents, and the case will be presented to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office" for any possible prosecution.
The superintendent said the girls are not current or former students in Edina, "and police have assured us that there is no threat to our schools."
Classes were called off for Wednesday at Normandale, and neighboring South View Middle School and Concord Elementary School. Also closed was the nearby Edina Community Center, which houses Spanish Dual Language Immersion School instruction and the Early Learning Center.
Stanley said classes will resume Thursday in all the affected buildings, and Wednesday's after-school activities were unaffected.
