Bomb threats in three Allegheny County school districts Monday may be part of a national spate of threats being monitored by the FBI.

Sweeps of the schools here — in the Baldwin-Whitehall, Pine-Richland and South Allegheny school districts — turned up no evidence of actual bombs, and all are scheduled to be open today. Dozens of threats were reported in schools across the country Monday in at least 10 states.

“We are aware of recent bomb threats at various schools in different states, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance if needed,” said a statement from the FBI in Washington, D.C. “As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”

Locally, the first reported threat came at 11:38 a.m. via a phone call to Paynter Elementary School in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District. The next threat came by phone two minutes later to Richland Elementary in the Pine-Richland School District. And the third threat was discovered at 12:20 p.m. written on the wall of a girls’ restroom at South Allegheny Middle/​High School.

All schools were evacuated and then cleared for normal activities, with the elementary school students bused to neighboring buildings to either finish the school day or get picked up early by their parents.

Multiple police departments are investigating the incidents.

Many of the bomb threats reported nationally Monday were “robo-calls” made through an automated message. The call to Richland Elementary was a recorded message, communications director Rachel Hathhorn said.

The person who answered the phone at Paynter Elementary believed the threat was from an actual person, said Baldwin-Whitehall superintendent Randal Lutz, though police are investigating. He described the threat as “extremely disruptive” at Paynter, not only in financial cost and wasted time but the emotional stress on students and parents.

“You’re dealing with kindergartners, first-graders. And as adults, our minds all go to the dark places — we imagine the worst things that can happen,” he said. “It’s very heart-wrenching and it angers me. It makes me mad that someone or some group, whoever might be responsible, finds joy in causing this grief.”

Anya Sostek: asostek@post-gazette.com.

First Published: May 23, 2016, 8:47 p.m.
Updated: May 24, 2016, 4:09 a.m.