A series of bomb threats scribbled on a bathroom wall have resulted in the evacuation of Oak Harbor High School four times over the past two weeks.

The resulting scene is not pretty. More than a thousand high school students stand outside in various types of weather, while police and Navy security search the buildings. The question usually is whether school can resume before the final bell rings.

The expense and waste of precious educational time is enormous for the school district, students and teachers. But there is no choice. Any bomb threat has to be taken seriously even though there’s a high probability it’s just another sick joke. The consequences of ignoring a bomb threat and then having a bomb explode are too disastrous to contemplate.

It’s important that the person or persons who are writing these bomb threats be apprehended as quickly as possible and then prosecuted for the serious crime they have committed. No doubt, others than just those who are involved know something about who did it. A call to the police would be the right thing to do.