On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Archie Williams received a bomb threat, prompting students and staff to evacuate during the first period of the school day. Initially, an announcement over the loudspeaker by Assistant Principal Kaki McLachlan instructed students and staff to collect their belongings and evacuate to the football field. Minutes later, the Archie Williams community received an email via StudentSquare/ParentSquare informing them of this safety concern and that it was not a drill. 

Principal Jacob Gran issued his first message at 8:42 a.m. informing the Archie Williams community that, “due to a safety concern, we have been advised by district staff and Central Marin PD to evacuate the buildings.” 

19 minutes later, at 9:01 a.m., Gran sent another message, explaining that the school had received a bomb threat on campus.  

“We do not believe the threat to be credible but out of an abundance of caution, we have been advised by Central Marin PD to evacuate the campus,” Gran wrote in his second email. 

Gran instructed students, guardians, and staff not to return to campus for the entire day. 

“Do not come to the AWHS Campus. School is cancelled for the day. We will update the community as soon as possible with additional information as we learn it,” Gran wrote. 

This is the second time Archie Williams has faced a bomb threat in the last year. On Sept. 13, 2024, Archie Williams students received a similar notification an hour before school had begun, and students already on campus were instructed to evacuate. 

When instructed to evacuate, many students were unable to retrieve their phones, leaving them and other belongings on campus. Sophomore Taylor Fahy was one of these students.

“The loudspeaker started talking, and it said grab all of our belongings, so we grabbed our bags, but our phones had already been turned in… so when we got to the football field, we just didn’t have [our phones]… I also had to leave [my sports bag] in the sports locker,” Taylor said.

Those who obtained their phones upon evacuating their classrooms also faced difficulties, as Archie Williams’ new Bring Your Own Devices policy disables devices other than Chromebooks from accessing district Wi-Fi. Students relied on the limited cell service available at the football field to communicate with parents and receive safety updates.

Gran shared that he will notify the Archie Williams community when more information becomes available.

“We will update the community as soon as possible with additional information as we learn it,” Gran wrote.

Last updated Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11:15 a.m.