Twenty-One Students Hospitalized After ‘Bomb Threat’ at Middle School

Twenty-one Tennessee middle school students were hospitalized after suffering heat-related illnesses while their school was evacuated over a potential bomb threat.

The frightening incident unfolded Friday, Sept. 4, at Carter Middle School in Knox County after authorities were alerted to a threatening message written on a bathroom wall shortly before 10 a.m.

The school was evacuated, and students were moved to the football field at around 10:25 a.m. while Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched the building for any possible threat.

Authorities said Sergeant Wallace and Deputy Bowers conducted a thorough sweep of the school as students waited outside.

Students were allowed back into the building at approximately 11:27 a.m., meaning they had been outside for less than an hour.

During the evacuation, however, multiple students began showing signs of heat-related illness.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene and began treating students both near the football field and inside the school.

According to Rural Metro Fire, 21 students were transported to Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.

Three of the students were reportedly in critical condition when they were taken to the hospital.

Officials said some students were treated in the field house next to the football field, while most received treatment after returning inside the building.

Rural Metro’s Jeff Bagwell said the school followed proper emergency procedures despite the medical emergency.

“The school reacted as they should,” Bagwell told WVLT.

He said the evacuation system worked as intended and maintained that students were kept safe while authorities investigated the threat.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk said staff attempted to provide students with water and shade throughout the evacuation.

“Any time we are faced with a threat of this kind, we expect our schools to act swiftly and in partnership with our law enforcement partners,” Rysewyk said. “That is what Carter Middle School did.”

He said the extreme heat made an already difficult situation worse, with approximately 20 students reporting heat-related symptoms.

Medical personnel responded immediately, and students who expressed concerns were transported to the hospital as a precaution.

Rysewyk later confirmed that all of the hospitalized students had been discharged before the end of the day and returned to the care of their families.

“Situations like these are never easy,” he said, praising school staff and emergency responders for acting quickly.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the threatening message.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said it takes all threats involving schools seriously and thanked administrators, students, staff and emergency responders for their cooperation.