ROCHESTER – Area Catholic schools went on “secure mode” and ultimately dismissed students early on Thursday after district officials received threats, barely a week after a fatal mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school.
Police say someone called in a threat to Rochester Catholic Schools around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, and then to Holy Spirit Catholic School, an elementary building in the Catholic district.
The district went into “secure mode,” locking all exterior doors, preventing students and staff from leaving and canceling outdoor activities.
Police searched the schools and determined no credible danger, and Holy Spirit staff decided to dismiss students around 10 a.m. The rest of the district followed suit by 11:30 a.m.
Rochester Catholic Schools President Tina Monosmith said in a message to parents that the private school district was “prioritizing the safety and well-being of [the] community.”
Rochester police Sgt. Jean Valere said officers were coordinating with Catholic school officials to safely return students to parents in the morning.
Valere said the phone calls referenced bomb threats, but didn’t threaten specific schools. He said police were trying to identify where the calls originated.
The threats to Catholic students in Minnesota’s third-largest city comes eight days after a former student shot and killed two children at Annunciation Catholic Church. The Aug. 27 mass shooting also injured 21 as the shooter struck during morning Mass at the Catholic school.
