Westport Public Schools Warns Of Possible 'Swatting' Incident

WESTPORT, CT — Though the district did not experience such an incident, Westport Public School officials are preparing for the possibility of a "swatting" incident.

In a letter to school families and staff on Monday, Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice said the district had learned that such an incident could happen to schools in Connecticut and New York.

As a result, Westport police increased its presence at each school in the district.

"Swatting incidents are threats intended to divert emergency response resources from their critical work supporting communities," Scarice wrote. "A number of school districts in Connecticut and New York received notice of a potential threat to schools. The threat was vague, appeared to be from someone outside of Connecticut, and was not sent to anyone in the Westport Public Schools directly."

A district in New York shared the information with Westport, Scarice said, and the potential threat is being investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies. Scarice and Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas also met to discuss the possible incident.

In the fall of 2022, Staples High School and next door Bedford Middle School were temporarily placed on lockdown during a swatting that proved to be a false alarm. Scarice referenced last year's incident in his letter.

"Out of an abundance of caution, and given the vague nature of this threat, the Westport Police stationed a police presence at each of our schools," Scarice said Monday. "The additional officers enhanced our newly formed School Security unit patrolling the schools in addition to our School Resource Officer at Staples High School."

Scarice added, "Fortunately, our constant communication and collaboration with the Westport Police Department allows us to address these issues quickly to ensure the safety of our students and staff."