Anchorage police said Friday they could not substantiate a rumor circulating through the Service High community about a gun threat at the school.
Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said it was unclear where the rumor originated, though she believed it started Thursday and quickly traveled via text messages, emails and conversations.
Police officers went to the high school in South Anchorage on Friday morning and interviewed students about the rumor, Castro said.
"A threat to us has a person, place, location, time -- some substance to it," she said. "This was purely a rumor. We followed up on it and found no credible evidence."
The rumor ended up in an internal email sent Friday by an employee of the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The email then spread externally.
The email warned of "unconfirmed rumors of a school shooting scheduled to take place today at Service High School." It urged parents to pick up their children "AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
Jeremy Zidek, spokesperson with the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the email was not authorized. It was sent by employees who had safety concerns for their children, he said.
"It was unfortunate that there was the confusion that occurred," he said. "The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management really regrets that and we apologize."
Service High Principal John Gaskins said in a recorded voice message sent to parents Friday that after "many, many hours of investigation, the rumor remains unfounded."
Gaskins said that with "safety in mind," he canceled the school's afternoon assembly, but the dance after school would continue as planned.
Castro said the school did not go on lockdown Friday.
Around noon, a constant line of vehicles streamed through Service High's main entrance to pick up students. Student parking lots were unusually empty.
On Thursday, emergency responders were also called to Service High for a small brush fire near one of the school's sports fields, said Patti Layou, executive secretary at ASD. A cause was not immediately known.