Students at Gainesville Middle School in Hall County were evacuated to a nearby church Thursday after a bomb threat was written on a bathroom wall, officials said.

The students were moved to First Baptist Church across from the Gainesville Civic Center, school officials said in a website post.

Parents who wanted to check out students from the church were allowed to do so with proper identification, according to the post. Students who weren’t checked out were to be dismissed from the church at the regular school dismissal time of 3:25 p.m.

“All students have been evacuated and the Gainesville City Police department is in the process of sweeping the school, in accordance with established processes,” officials said in the post.

Students are safe, out of the building and being supervised by school and district staff, according to the post. When an "all clear" is issued, parents will be contacted again.

On Wednesday, a North Hall Middle School student was arrested for allegedly creating a similar bomb threat that led to the school’s evacuation.

In other news:

Thousands of students were impacted.

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC