A bathroom bomb threat intended for today at Ames High School is being treated with extra caution in the aftermath of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks.

“We found a threat scrawled on the bathroom wall,” said W. Ray Richardson, Ames Public Schools Superintendent.

He said the threat referencing today was found about a week ago.

Richardson said in light of Tuesday’s events, the school is taking this threat very seriously.

“The school’s had threats before,” he said. “The difference this time is [that] in the wake of what happened Tuesday we are more concerned.”

At this time, the school does not know who made the threats, but the threats are under thorough investigation.

“School officials and the police are confident that we will find the person that made the threat,” Richardson said.

Classes will remain in session as usual, he said. Richardson said parents are allowed to take their child out of school if they feel the need.

However, Des Moines Area Community College classes that are held at the Ames High School were canceled for Wednesday evening.

“The school will close down in the evening for a thorough sweep of the building,” he said.

Richardson said the school alerted the Ames Police Department of the threat right away.

“[Ames Police Department officers] are always involved with threats,” he said. “They will be involved with the investigation as well as the inspection of the building.”

Sgt. Mike Johns of the Ames Police Department said the department also is involved with securing the building.

“We will have officers at the school Thursday to add security,” he said.

Because of the on-going investigation of the threat, Johns said the department won’t release when, exactly, the threat was made, or what the threat said.

Johns said the threat “was specific.”

“We don’t want to jeopardize our investigation by letting out too much information,” he said.

However, Johns and Richardson both said the threat was made prior to Tuesday’s terrorist attack.

“The threat is not connected to Tuesday’s events,” Richardson said. “The threat was made before Tuesday.”

Johns said parents should have some concern about the threat.

“Parents should be concerned and talk with the students about it,” he said. “However, they should not overreact about it.”

Johns said bomb threats are not a common occurrence at Ames High School, but reports of threats have been made in the past.

Richardson said everything possible is being done to make sure the school remains safe.

“We want everyone to know we are concerned about this,” he said. “And we are dealing with it.”