IDAHO FALLS — Students at Taylorview Middle School were evacuated on Tuesday morning after administrators discovered a recorded bomb threat on the school’s answering machine. 

The students were sent home while Idaho Falls police and K-9 bomb sniffing dogs spent two hours searching the school, according to a news release. They didn’t find anything, but are still investigating the incident.

The bomb threat was the second scare Idaho Falls School District has had in the past week; Skyline High School was locked-down last Wednesday after a 15-year-old student allegedly brought an airsoft pistol to school and placed it in a locker. 

Although no one was injured or actually endangered in either event, the incidents have added to concerns about school safety which are becoming more prevalent in light of the shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut on Dec. 14, in which 20 children and six adults died.   

Local school administrators say they have plans in place to protect students, and they do everything they can to ensure their safety. 

“The schools are a safe place for children,” said Margaret Wimborne, coordinator of community relations and community engagement for the Idaho Falls School District. “We have a number of protocols and procedures in place to keep students and staff safe, and we’re prepared for a number of different emergency situations.”

For instance, school administrators immediately contacted police after hearing the recorded bomb threat on their answering machine on Tuesday morning. They then evacuated the students to a nearby church and brought in buses to take all of them home within roughly an hour, Wimborne said. And last Wednesday, Skyline High School administrators contacted police as soon as they received a report that a student possibly had a weapon at school. They placed the entire school on lock-down until police located the weapon in the locker a little over an hour later. 

Officials at other school districts in east Idaho say they also have emergency plans in place. Still, the tragedy in Connecticut is weighing on a lot of people’s minds right now. 

The incident has stirred many to sympathy — some Blackfoot High School clubs are planning a special event to show their support for the students in Connecticut — and others to fear. An 11-year-old was apprehended in Utah this week for bringing an unloaded gun and ammunition to school in his backpack. The sixth-grader told administrators that he brought the weapon to defend himself in case of an attack like the mass shooting in Connecticut. 

Wimborne said the most important thing people can do right now is remain calm. 

“Right now there is an incredible amount of chatter and rumors and Facebook posts — all kinds of things,” Wimborne said. “They’re about everything from the Mayan calendar to the school shooting and a number of other incidents across the country.”

She encourages parents and students to notify administrators if they have any concerns, but she also urges them not to get caught up in the rumor mill. 

“People are a little more concerned than usual,” she said. “We understand that, but schools are a very safe place for students to be.”

And local administrators say they are always looking for ways to improve safety, especially following tragedies like the one that occurred in Connecticut. 

Ron Bolinger, superintendent of American Falls School District, said he has also received some phone calls recently from parents who are concerned about student safety. 

“When something like that happens it peaks awareness and obviously increases the level of concern,” he said, adding that the school district is doing everything it can to ease those concerns. 

He met with staff on Tuesday, and they discussed not only the incident in Connecticut, but ways they can better prepare against such a tragedy. They recently held an emergency drill so law enforcement officers could give them suggestions on things they could do better, and they’re planning to reexamine the crisis plan they have in place in the future. Although no plan is foolproof, Bolinger said the best thing schools can do is be prepared for emergencies when they arise. 

“We’re dedicated to looking at areas we can improve,” he said. “We want to make sure we do all we can do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.