A bomb threat received via email shut the two campuses of the Solomon-Schechter School of Westchester Monday morning, sending students home for the remainder of the day.
The private Jewish school—which serves students from Kindergarten to 12th grade—received the threat at about 9:30 a.m. The school has campuses in Hartsdale and White Plains.
The Upper School, located at 555 W. Hartsdale Ave. and serving students in grades six through 12, was evacuated, Greenburgh Police said. The Westchester County Bomb Squad responded to the incident, as well.
Although no bomb was detected, the administration chose to keep the campus closed for the remainder of the day. The Lower School in White Plains has also been closed for the rest of the day, according to published reports. Greenburgh Police told Patch they are continuing to investigate.
Solomon Schechter Headmaster Dr. Elliott Spiegel said both schools will reopen Tuesday morning at their regular time. He said police declared the Hartsdale campus safe by about noontime. Dr. Speigel said he could not discuss the contents of the email.
Dr. Speigel said the bomb threat was an unpleasant experience but students, teachers and staff handled it well and reacted calmly.
"Schools, learning places are sacred places," he said. "When that's violated that's disturbing."
The Rockland Jewish Academy (RJA) in West Nyack is affiliated with the Solomon Schechter School. Dr. Spiegel said there was no connection between the threat at Solomon Schecter and the RJA.
RJA enrolls students from kindergarten through fifth grade with older students attending the Solomon Schechter Hartsdale campus. The RJA is supervised by Dr. Spiegel and the Solomon Schechter School.
