Disruptive and Damaging: The Bomb Threats Facing TBLS

By: Mueenat Ajanaku, Class III

Photo credit: Pixabay

On October 12, 2025 hundreds of students lined up in front of TBLS, nervously anticipating when they would be allowed back inside. TBLS has dealt with disruptions before, but never at this scale. During the 2025-2026 school year, TBLS received numerous bomb threats, leaving some individuals worried about their safety in the school, while others criticized the safety procedures in place.

Between October and December of the 2025-2026 school year, TBLS and the wider Grand Street Campus experienced at least 12 bomb threats. The first threat was on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Authorities stated that the NYPD received “the call from California saying there was a bomb in the first-floor bathroom at I.S. 49 on Graham Avenue at around 8:30 a.m.” Students were evacuated and relocated to a shelter at the Grand Street campus while the NYPD conducted a full sweep, confirming the building was safe for students to reenter. However, these threats continued, with multiple coming in per week. In some of the later threats, students and staff weren’t evacuated, and instead, the school was placed in a shelter-in, then a hold. Recently, on December 9th, two consecutive bomb threats were called in during the school day.

During the evacuations, there has been lacking information on the severity of these threats. In the first bomb threat, Isabella Ramirez, a class III student, had thought that the bomb threat was “false information, and just some kid trying to get us out of school,” and therefore, did not take the threats seriously. Many students weren’t aware of why they were evacuating until they got back inside the building, which left them restless and curious. Once they were informed about the threat, students were more worried about “taking their bags because they didn’t know how long [the evacuations] would last,” said Lilah Cobb, a class III student. Many students didn’t view the bomb threat as a serious issue, joking around during the evacuation. However, as the bomb threats continued, students became more frustrated and worried. Katie Huang, a class I student, said, “It really just made my day a lot worse…it’s not funny anymore.”

Due to an ongoing investigation, information provided publicly by the NYPD concerning the culprit is limited. On November 21, 2025, officers from the North Brooklyn district arrived at The Brooklyn Latin School. Firstly, they spoke about student safety, expressing that when a bomb threat is called in, students’ safety is the number one priority. The officers later spoke about the investigation the NYPD is carrying out, and their access to and use of intelligence units and federal resources. Finally, they discussed the consequences of making bomb threats, including the serious punishments the perpetrator will face. The NYPD also hosts community meetings monthly, and multiple TBLS parents have voiced their concerns. While the NYPD has been working on identifying the culprit, there haven't been any reports of a suspect arrest. Some students were left feeling frustrated that the NYPD’s words didn’t fully match their actions, since they still haven’t found the culprit. Milliana, a class IV student, feels like “they gave up on searching.”

Even though the NYPD has been working with the school to address the bomb threats, and the disruptions have lessened, students of TBLS are still anxious and frustrated due to the unresolved issue.