Bomb Threats Taking Financial Toll

By Darcia Harris Bowman

Despite all its efforts to crack down on the bomb scares that disrupted classes again and again last year, North Carolina’s Orange County district fell victim to yet another false alarm this school year—on the very first day of classes.

And then again on the second day of school.

In all, classes at the district’s Cedar Ridge High School were disrupted by bomb threats six times between the first day of school, Aug. 10, and Aug. 24, district spokeswoman Anne D’Annunzio said. Each time, students, teachers, and staff members had to stand outside in the humid summer weather while county emergency-service responders and school employees searched the building for...