Students in Octorara Area School District were sent home early and evening activities at the Atglen schools were canceled after a bomb threat at the high school forced the evacuation of the high school and middle school and sent other district buildings into lock-down mode Wednesday.

The bomb threat was received at the school about 9:45 a.m., according to a posting on the district's Web site. State police from the Avondale barrack searched the building before declaring the bomb report a hoax at 4:30 p.m.

Bomb-sniffing dogs and bomb technicians from Hershey were called to the schools for the search, Trooper March Knock said.

During the incident, students from the middle and high schools were evacuated to the nearby elementary school before being sent home for the day shortly after noon.

District officials used an emergency telephone system to notify parents of the situation.

Calls for comment to the high school, middle school and administrative offices were not returned.