@PA statewide (nationwide) swatting re:school shootings

[klee23]

At least 6 western PA high schools were swatted this morning leading to lockdowns, evacuations, police/SWAT arrival, scared students and panicked parents. Calls at the first school was 830 then frequency picked up after 1030. What a nightmare for all involved. There were also two other schools in central PA with hoax calls. The evening News mentioned other states as well but haven't had a chance to read up.

www.wtae.com/article/large-police-presence-at-oakland-catholic-and-central-catholic-high-schools/43453304

[sporklemotion]

This has been happening in MA as well.

PDQ: my school (a HS) has had two threats within the last two months, one during state testing this week. The first threat came during a week when multiple schools received calls each day, and the second one was also part of a wave of them.

[pixy0stix]

This has happened since last fall, and it's awful. NPR has done a handful of articles if you search (I'm on my phone and lazy). Basically the calls are coming from overseas and different states/areas are targeted at a time.

[nsl]

We had a rash of them today in UT (thankfully most districts are on spring break), and it was so bad our superintendent sent out a midday message to parents and employees to emphasize that none of our schools were in any actual danger because the local news had named my school as a target.

[beerlover]

This happened in my hometown in Central PA today. My mom saw all the students standing outside the high school when she drove by. Lots of accounts from friends of their kids calling them from closets and saying they were scared and didn't know what was happening. Awful.

[cmeon]

Yeah, the articles from the fall are good reads- they think it's one guy. One fucking guy.

We get one (or multiple) every couple of months in our large FL districts. It's disruptive, but generally doesn't scare anyone here anymore (for better or worse).

www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1129919258/swatting-fake-school-shooter-calls-hoax-pattern
www.wired.com/story/school-swatting-textnow-ethiopia/

[lilac05]

We got notification from our district last week that these have been happening with increasing frequency. They are aware, and will always respond immediately as if it is a true threat, but parents should be aware that these are happening frequently. I think they were hoping to decrease parental stress/anxiety if our school does receive one. I’m not sure it would actually do any good, as even knowing this, my first thought will not be “oh, it’s a hoax.” But I give them credit for the communication and for trying.

This is so traumatic for so many people. Even after it’s all found to be a hoax, it still sticks with people. We had a bomb threat called into our school when I was a freshman in HS. We were pretty sure it was fake the whole time (it was before Columbine, so the thought of anything actually happening was not really in our minds), yet it’s one of the most salient memories from my HS days. I can’t imagine what it does to kids now.

[minzy]

I first saw this from a PA friend on Facebook before they realized it was a hoax. So much stress.

@@@
At Girl Scouts last night we were going over materials that included the suggestion of sending a letter to the president about an important issue. After they got over their awe that they could actually send the POTUS snail mail, one of them ran with it and wrote a letter about school violence. They all signed it and it’s already stamped and in my outgoing mailbox so will be headed to the White House later today.

[klee23]

Thanks Pixy. I hadn't had a chance to look back yesterday but I wondered if it was something coming in internationally. It seems like too coordinated of an effort to be carried out by students (especially if one person or group has been doing this for awhile without getting caught).

[Jalapeñomel]

We were on lockdown for this today.

[plutosmoon]

@@
This happened all over MA on Tuesday, including my city's jr/sr high school and 2 others in my county. I believe 28 schools across the state received the same threat on Tuesday. The swatting followed closely on the heels of a student at DDs old elementary school in town attacking others with a knife.

The kids were evacuated. Parents weren't notified until late in the day what actually happened. Our local newspaper reported on what happened long before the school notified parents. So sad and scary.

[Poeticxpassion]

@@@@

Colorado had multiple swatting calls last month. I mean alphabetical order?!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0IkxLIafjg

Several of the swatting calls that prompted law enforcement responses and caused lockdowns at schools across Colorado on Wednesday came in alphabetical order.

The FBI said they are "aware of numerous threats made today to a variety of organizations and institutions across Colorado." They said they "have no information at this time to indicate a specific and credible threat."

Swatting is when someone makes a false call to law enforcement, claiming an emergency situation and providing a real address for officers to respond to.

9NEWS found several of the districts were called in alphabetical order:

Alamosa received a call at 8:24 a.m.
Aspen - 8:25 a.m.
Aurora - 8:30 a.m.
Boulder - 8:33 a.m.
Brighton - 8:41 a.m.
Durango - 9:16 a.m.
Englewood - 9:19 a.m.
Estes Park - 9:23 a.m.
Fort Morgan - 9:38 a.m.
Grand Junction - 10:05 a.m.
Littleton - 1:45 p.m.

[pixy0stix]

The CO calls came on a day when a bunch of schools were out because of a snow day, so while it was in the news it wasn't big news.

[shauni27]

happened here in NH a few weeks ago as well, including in our little school district. It was so scary to even just think about it.