Innes Community Learning Center Vandalized, Bomb Threat Forces Evacuation
Innes Community Learning Center in Akron was evacuated Monday morning after staff and administrators arrived to find the building vandalized and a bomb threat written on a classroom whiteboard.
According to photos provided to Signal Akron, the threat was scrawled in dry-erase marker with an arrow pointing to a cardboard box wrapped in plastic.
The vandalism also included obscene language and crude drawings on desks, whiteboards, and teaching materials. Furniture was overturned, classroom supplies were strewn across the floors, and at least one plant had been ripped from its pot.
Akron police and fire personnel, including K-9 units, conducted a thorough sweep of the building. No explosives were found, according to a statement from Akron Public Schools. As a precaution, the school will remain closed on Tuesday to allow for cleanup and to give teachers time to reset their classrooms.
Authorities say surveillance footage led them to identify a juvenile suspect. How the suspect gained access to the school over the weekend remains unclear.
Innes CLC, located in the Kenmore neighborhood of southwest Akron, serves about 600 middle school students. When the vandalism was discovered Monday morning, students were en route to school. They were rerouted to Garfield Community Learning Center, where they waited in the auditorium until they could be picked up by their families.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the school day for Innes students has been canceled,” Akron Public Schools said in an emailed statement. “Families have been notified and asked to pick up their students from Garfield CLC.”
Most of the Innes staff accompanied students to Garfield CLC, while some remained behind to assist authorities and begin the recovery process. Pat Shipe, president of the Akron Education Association, confirmed that Akron Mayor Shammas Malik was informed of the incident. Malik’s office has not yet commented, and further details from Akron Public Schools were not immediately available.
