The school board has received a bomb threat claiming that a bomb would be detonated at
noon on Monday at the high school. The threat was received by the school board at 8 pm
on Sunday night. The school asked the bomb squad to investigate and they found no
bomb. The next morning at 7am, one hour before school was to start, another threat was
received. There was no time to check for a bomb. What is the best action for the school to
take from an ethical perspective? Explain. (a) Go ahead with school as planned since the
last threat was not credible. (b) Delay the start of school until 10am to give the bomb
squad time to check and inform parents there is a water leak that needs to be fixed. (c)
Call off school even though final exams were scheduled that day and explain all the steps
taken to protect the safety of students.
Discuss which ethical theory supports each alternative. Which would you choose and
why?