Shortly before noon on Thursday, Tamaqua Area School District officials were alerted to a bomb threat at the Tamaqua Area Senior High School, after a threatening note was found in a student bathroom. The district immediately implemented its safety procedures and mobilized its bomb search team, which included three members of the Tamaqua Police Department and specially trained school district personnel.

Students and staff were evacuated from the building as the team swept through the school, thoroughly searching for anything out of the ordinary. A number of lockers were also randomly searched. When nothing suspicious was found, officials turned to the school's security tapes, looking to see who had entered the bathroom where the note was found.When the all clear was given, students and staff were allowed back in the building and the student body was addressed. Several people were individually interviewed, identified from the security tapes, to see if they had observed anyone or anything suspicious.It wasn't long before everything was back to normal, thanks to shortened lunch periods and a shortening of afternoon classes.School District Superintendent Carol Makuta notes several other Schuylkill County school districts were also victims of recent hoaxes and wants to assure parents the district "Does everything we can to provide a safe environment for the students, the teachers and the staff. We have developed specific safety plans, including such things as building sweeps every morning and evening. I know this type of hoax is frightening to parents, but we are determined to do our best to ensure the safety of our facilities for all."