Ossining High School Goes Remote After Social Media Threat

OSSINING, NY — A post on social media purporting to be from someone announcing their plan to shoot everyone at Ossining High School on Friday is under investigation by Ossining police.

District officials shifted the school to remote-only teaching and learning in response. In addition, police officers were stationed at every other public school plus St. Augustine's, and Police Chief Kevin Sylvester posted a video at the start of the school day.

Some parents didn't think closing OHS was enough, arguing on Facebook that other schools could be targeted once the high school was closed.

Sylvester assured watchers there was no broad threat and that officers were out for an added level of security and comfort.

The chief and Superintendent Ray Sanchez wrote a joint note to the community.

The post said "I go to ossining high school and tmr I promise I will shoot the whole school I'll be the active shooter for tmr I can't wait to see u there guys ..."

Social media threats against schools have been occurring across the country this fall. Here are four recently reported by Patch:

• False Social Media Threat Reported At Bridgewater Schools
• West Morris Central Cleared After Social Media Threat
• Snapchat Threat Leads To 'Strong' Police Presence At High School
• Notice To Families: Social Media Threats

Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, was talking to a Pittsburgh TV station about this very topic when Patch called Friday at noon.

"Social-emotional stressors are escalating as kids are returning," he told Patch, "and it's showing in the behaviors. ... All of us in the field are agreeing that this year is off the charts both with threats and violence."

He said schools have seen more verbal aggression, more anxiety, and in many cases physical aggression — including large-scale fights where parents jump in.

He said the best thing districts can do is what Ossining has done — have threat assessment teams and protocols in place working with local law enforcement.

"As a parent I understand the emotional aspect of this," he said, "and when we train these threat assessment teams we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of these protocols because we want them to have guidelines to use so they are responding cognitively not emotionally."