Threat prompts Newport Middle School evacuation

Newport Middle School has been evacuated due to a bomb threat written on a bathroom wall at the school.

The campus was evacuated around 12:30 p.m., according to officials at the school.

Approximately 330 students were evacuated as a precaution. Students in grades 5 and 6 were sent to the elementary school, while students in grades 7 and 8 were sent to the high school.

Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s deputies are at the school investigating the threat. While they have not found anything during their first sweep, they have requested a bomb-sniffing dog from TSA to help search in a secondary sweep.

School district officials sent a note home to parents to inform them of the incident.

The sheriff’s investigation is ongoing.