Suspicious Package Cleared from Youth's Benefit Elementary School

UPDATE (6:11 p.m.)—A suspicious package that prompted a partial evacuation at Youth's Benefit Elementary Friday turned out to be a box containing ribbons, cloth, toys and art supplies, police said.

The package, about the size of a tuba case, was found by the flagpole outside the school about 12:30 p.m., and a robot inspected it, said Monica Worrell, a Harford County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. 

“What they thought was wires turned out to be ribbons," Worrell said. "It was nothing,  and everything is back to normal.”

The discovery of the package had led to the evacuation of students from some parts of the school to the lower, intermediate building and later to the parks and recreation building, from which they were dismissed on time. Traffic was stopped on Maryland Route 152 as the package was opened.

In an e-mail, Worrell said the box contained ribbons as well as "cloth pieces, toys and art supplies."

“We found a suspicious package located outside of the primary building at Youth’s Benefit Elementary School this afternoon,” said Teri Kranefeld, Harford County Public Schools communications manager. “As a precautionary measure, the police were immediately called in.”

Kranefeld said parents received two alerts—one when the package was found and another to alert them of a change in dismissal procedure. Kranefeld said alerts are automated via telephone based on the school system's database and that parents do not have to sign up for a list.

“During the school year when we have drills at the school, the students practice evacuating from one building to the other,” Kranefeld said. “They also practice evacuating to the parks and rec center so the students were aware of how that process works and everything went smoothly.”