Separate Bomb Hoaxes Force Evacuations at Norwood and Canton High Schools-October 15, 1963

A wave of disruptive bomb hoaxes swept through the region over a 24-hour period, forcing the complete evacuation of high schools in both Norwood and Canton.

Norwood High School Evacuated for Second Time in Two Weeks

At 8:15 a.m. today, Norwood High School Principal Charles Hayden received a chilling phone call from an unidentified male voice stating that a bomb had been planted inside the building.

Promptly following emergency protocols, police, fire, and school officials mobilized to comb the school grounds thoroughly. The disruption marked the second time in exactly two weeks that the student body of 1,500 students was forced to evacuate due to a bomb scare, following an identical incident two weeks prior to the minute.

With today’s instructional time lost, the Norwood School Committee will be forced to schedule a second makeup date. The committee had already designated October 25 as the makeup day resulting from the October 1 bomb scare.

Canton High School Hoax Leads to Police Questioning

Meanwhile, in neighboring Canton, a separate bomb hoax disrupted the afternoon session yesterday.

At 1:00 p.m., Canton High School Principal Edward Alvino received a telephone call warning of a device planted on school grounds, triggering the immediate evacuation of 875 students. Police and fire officials conducted an exhaustive search of the building, ultimately finding no explosives.

Canton police acted swiftly, detaining and questioning a young man suspected of placing the hoax call. Authorities declined to release further details regarding the suspect while the investigation remained active.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger