Atholton High School was evacuated and all after school activities were canceled on Thursday after a bomb threat on the building was received in the afternoon, according to Howard County Police.

A police spokesperson said the bomb threat was sent to a school administrator's email account around the time of dismissal. Dismissal was completed and police are searching the school with a bomb sniffing dog, according to police.

Earlier in the day, Howard High School held a lock-down drill. The drill, at about 1:50 p.m., did not constitute a real emergency, according to a statement released by the school.

Police Chief William McMahon brought up the issue of school safety Wednesday night at the Citizens' Advisory Council meeting. McMahon updated the group on the status of a joint task force on school safety. 

"Lots of the [safety] systems are already in place," said McMahon, who heads the task force's Emergency Response Planning subcommittee.  "

"There is consensus building around certain improvements," he said, however "There's not a cookie cutter approach to what we want to do."

Related:

- County Schools Cautious After Sandy Hook Shooting

- Joint Task Force on School Safety to Meet