Mails to head offices

Bomb threat: St. Pölten schools closed

Several schools in St. Pölten, such as the grammar school in Josefstraße and the Grillparzer Campus, were closed on Tuesday following a bomb threat.(Bild: Thomas Werth)

After many schools in the provincial capital of Lower Austria received threatening emails during the night, classes were canceled in numerous institutions on Tuesday morning. Chaos is the result.

On Tuesday morning, a threatening email once again paralyzed classes, this time at several schools in St. Pölten. Identical-word "abstract threats" were received by the head offices during the night. It remained unclear for a long time exactly which schools were affected.

The Grillparzer Campus in St. Pölten was closed from Tuesday morning.(Bild: Thomas Werth)

A few weeks ago, classes were already canceled at a school in St. Pölten after a bomb threat.(Bild: Thomas Werth, Krone KREATIV)

While some parents were informed quickly, for many it overlapped with the journey to school. Many children stayed at home as a precaution. Kindergartens directly adjacent to affected school buildings were also closed.

For those who were already on their way to school, the Education Directorate tried to arrange childcare. However, this was not possible everywhere. Parents at some school locations were asked to take care of their children themselves. 

The emails were sent to the directorates during the night. The wording was always the same. The education directorate organized childcare.

Raimund Schwaigerlehner, Landespolizeidirektion NÖ

In at least two schools, parents were only contacted when many children were already on site. When the first school bell rang, the magistrate was still feverishly searching for a solution for collective care. However, this was quickly found. Parts of the Hesser barracks in the city center were converted into an after-school care center. Children are looked after there by educational staff and provided with food and drink.

In general, distance learning was switched to Tuesday and Wednesday.