The bomb threat Thursday morning in Douglas County put many area private schools in an unprecedented situation.

Administrators said their schools were placed on high alert, operated under semi-lockdowns and followed crisis procedures.

Chris Carter, head of school at Bishop Seabury Academy, said about half of the school’s 122 students left classes early Thursday. School administrators informed the students of the bomb threat during an early-morning assembly and allowed them to carry cell phones throughout the day. They also sent e-mails to parents.

Before the assembly “some (students) knew about it and some didn’t,” Carter said. “That is a recipe for more confusion.”

The only unlocked access to the school was monitored throughout the day.

Other private schools in the area followed similar procedures of sending e-mails to parents, closely watching entrances and informing students. They also allowed parents to pick up students early if they chose.

Carter said it was the first time he has encountered such a situation in his six years at Bishop Seabury, 4120 Clinton Parkway. While the school does have crisis procedures in place to evacuate for fire and bomb threats, Carter said he spent much of the day “thinking on his feet.”

“We’re pretty cognizant that everybody is just more sensitive than usual given what happened at Virginia Tech,” Carter said.

St. John Catholic School Principal Pat Newton said while parents were free to take students out of school, less than 10 percent of students left the school at 1208 Ky.

For Veritas Christian School Administrator Jeff Barclay, Thursday’s events were a chance to test existing crisis policies. Teachers and students practiced procedures for emergency evacuations and lockdowns.

“It worked the way we hoped it would,” Barclay said.