UPDATE: Bomb Threats Lead to School Evacuation 2 Days in a Row

UPDATE: Cinnaminson Public Safety Director Mickey King said police have a number of leads following Tuesday's second bomb scare at the high school, but could not provide specific details of the investigation, since it's ongoing. 

He said the operations carried out at the school both Monday and Tuesday, and the communication between the police department and the district, have gone smoothly.

"The system works very well," he told the school board during its Tuesday night meeting.

High school principal Darlene Llewellyn said students were receptive during an assembly held Tuesday afternoon following the second bomb scare.

"Their reaction was great. You could've heard a pin drop in the entire auditorium," she said. "That's always a sign of a good assembly."

Llewellyn said school staff stressed to the students during the assembly that "they need to be part of the solution."

"We don't want this to be a contagion. We don't want this to continue to happen," she said, adding that some students approached her afterward to apologize for the actions of those responsible for the threats. 

Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi was forceful in his remarks about the consequences that await the guilty party, or parties.

"We are not fooling around," he said. "We will find the person or persons responsible, and we will do what's necessary to maintain the safety and security of our students and staff."

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School officials are offering a $1,000 reward to tipsters after separate bomb threats forced the evacuation of Cinnaminson High School the past two days.

Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi said a student received a text message at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning that said a bomb would go off at 10 a.m. The student showed the text to a teacher, and police were subsequently notified. 

Following longstanding district policy, Illuzzi said the school was put on lockdown while bomb-sniffing K-9s first checked the stadium.

"It's ridiculous to send the students from the high school to the stadium" if that's where the threat is, Illuzzi explained.

Once police verified the stadium was safe, the students were moved from the high school, while seven police dogs checked the school. Illuzzi said students and staff were allowed to re-enter the building—after police gave the all-clear—shortly after 10 a.m. As of 10:30, he said students were back in class and proceeding with a normal school day.

Tuesday's bomb scare came on the heels of a similar threat that occurred Monday. Illuzzi said an undated, handwritten note was found in one of the rooms at the high school Monday afternoon, threatening a bomb would go off at a particular time.

Even though the time indicated in the threat had already passed, Illuzzi said the school took precautions and followed the same procedure. Because the threat was received late in the day, students were dismissed from the stadium after they were moved there. 

Illuzzi said an email was sent out to parents via the school messenger system, notifying them of the threat, at 3:28 p.m. Monday.

As a result of the back-to-back threats, Illuzzi said the school board has authorized him to offer the $1,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of the persons (or person) responsible for the threats. 

"We're going to put a stop to this once and for all," he said, noting that those responsible would be expelled. 

Although there were some minor similarities between the two threats, Illuzzi said there's currently "no way of knowing whether it's the same person."

The bomb threat that came via text message Tuesday was sent from a number listed as being in Mississippi, according to Illuzzi, who said police explained that cell phones can be masked, which was likely the case here. 

"The important thing for parents to know is that there are procedures in place and they are followed to the letter so their students are safe," Illuzzi said. 

Anyone with information should call the Cinnaminson Police Department at 856-829-6667, ext. 2041. Information can also be reported anonymously by calling 1-800-78-CRIME.

The superintendent said this week's bomb threats are the first the school has had since December 2011.