Bomb threat at SKCTC leads to campus evacuations

Published 5:07 pm Thursday, May 11, 2023

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Officials responded to a bomb threat at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) on Thursday after one was allegedly phoned into the Harlan campus.

Amy Simpson, the Director of Public Relations for SKCTC, confirmed a bomb threat was received at the Harlan Campus.

“The phone was answered in Harlan, but the threat was not specified for that campus,” Simpson said. “So, we decided to err on the side of caution and evacuated all six campuses.”

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According to Simpson, as of approximately 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Kentucky State Police had arrived at the Harlan Campus with a bomb-sniffing dog, searched the campus and found no indication of a bomb.

“That campus has been cleared,” Simpson said. “They are en route to the Cumberland campus right now. They are going to clear the Cumberland campus, then the Whitesburg campus, then Pineville, Middlesboro and Knox campuses in that order.”

Simpson explained each campus will be inspected and cleared before activities resume. All campuses are expected to be cleared and activities resumed as soon as possible.

SKTCT is currently between sessions, meaning no college students were on campus, Simpson said.

Without college students being on campus, only staff and some high school students taking part in technical courses were on campus, Simpson explained.

“They (high school students) were returned to their high school,” Simpson said.

A post on the Harlan County Public School’s Facebook page states all students were transported safely back to Harlan County High School.