GRAY – For the second time in a week, Gray-New Gloucester High School was evacuated for a bomb threat on Friday.

Superintendent Victoria Burns said by telephone on Sunday that students were evacuated to the middle school, then sent home because little time remained in the school day for instruction.

The incident is under investigation by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, which also is following up on a similar threat Wednesday that prompted an evacuation. On Wednesday, students left the building for two hours then returned to school when the building was declared safe for re-entry.

Students will be required to make up two hours of instructional time for Friday’s incident added to the two hours accrued on Wednesday of lost academic teaching.

Superintendent Burns said, “The students I talked to wanted to go to school and do their work. It was very disruptive for them.”

“One kid out of 700 makes it disruptive to staff and students,” Burns said.

High School Principal Paul Penna is expected to discuss the matter with students at an assembly today.

School Board Chairman Dr. Alan Rich of New Gloucester said evacuations for bomb threats are costly for school departments. The cost to send students home also impacts staff service and time. For example, Rich said lunch service might be affected by the time of day of the incident.

He said an anonymous phone call or a note tacked up on a wall in a bathroom often triggers the call for evacuation

“Everyone loses and the time will be made up. There is a standard operating procedure that must be followed by staff and students,” Rich said.