Bomb threat closes Raleigh's Broughton High School

Broughton High senior Grace Massarelli said she was in second period around 9 a.m. when the principal made an announcement telling students little information other than they needed to leave their classrooms and head to the football field.

"He (said), 'I need everyone to be quiet and listen to me,'" she said. "So, the whole school was silent, and he told us we had to evacuate the school."

By 11 a.m., bus drivers had been summoned back to the school to take students to Martin Middle School, 3 miles away.

The school closed for the day – classes will resume Thursday – and parents were able to pick up their children at the middle school.

"I'm kind of freaked out, because this has never happened in the four years I've been here," Massarelli said. "We've definitely never had to go to another school."

Michelle Jones got a text message from her son before receiving a phone call from the school about the evacuation.

"Panic (went through my mind) as a concerned mother," she said. "Especially with all the tragedies we've had over the years and the shootings at the schools – you don't know what to think."

Authorities said Wednesday afternoon that investigators found nothing at the school, but they declined to release any other details about their investigation.

Renee McCoy, director of public relations for the Wake County Public School System, however, said the decision to transport students from school grounds – at 723 St. Mary's St. – was in the best interest for their safety and was based on "credible information" from police.

Broughton High School has a student population of 2,174. According to its website, classes begin at 7:25 a.m. and run until 2:18 p.m.