New Hampshire Officials Determine School Shooter Threats Were Hoaxes

CONCORD, NH — State officials have determined several school shooter threat incidents in New Hampshire on Thursday were hoaxes.

The New Hampshire Department of Safety stated Thursday that at least 10 calls in the state and more across the country were similar. The calls in New Hampshire began around 10 a.m. The first one to occur was at St. John Regional School on South State Street in Concord.

After about 15 minutes of investigating the incident at the K to 8 Catholic school, Concord police began hearing about other incidents around the state and determined that no one was inside the school harming students or faculty.

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The state’s safety department said the FBI will be working on identifying the source of the calls and handling the investigation.

“Today, we saw schools using their emergency operation plans to respond to the calls,” Robert Buxton, Director of the Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said. “These incidents continue to show us why it is important for schools to conduct trainings and exercises on those plans, throughout the school year, in partnership with their local first responders.”

Buxton said the department utilized the state’s School Readiness Program, which aids with developing, implementing, and reviewing school emergency operations plans. The program is part of the department and works with schools throughout the year to conduct physical security assessments as well as training and exercises.

During the past eight years, the School Readiness Program has conducted more than 1,000 assessments.

Along with Claremont, Concord, Dover, Franklin, Keene, and Portsmouth, WMUR-TV reported that Laconia, Lebanon, Littleton, and Whitefield also received threats.

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