GRAY – Gray-New Gloucester Middle School was evacuated this morning after a bomb threat targeted the school.

According to School Administrative District 15 Superintendent Victoria Burns, the threat came in between 9:30 and 10 a.m. and as a precaution the middle school students were evacuated to the nearby high school where they are awaiting the go-ahead to return to the school.

Chief Deputy Naldo Gagnon of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said several officers are at the school searching the building for a bomb. He would not elaborate on the source or manner the threats were delivered since it is an ongoing investigation.

Burns said the students are being “very orderly” and that parents were notified of the evacuation by way of an automatic phone call and email service.

She said the school hasn’t received a bomb threat for several years but that Bonny Eagle High School’s threat on Monday may have prompted Wednesday’s threat.

“There was a report of another threat in the area and sometimes that can be contagious, but we always act on the side of safety. The students are handling it very well and our hope is that they are back before lunch,” she said.