'Swatting' Hoaxes Plague Schools In NY

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — False reports of shots fired affected schools across the Hudson Valley and the Capital Region Thursday morning.

New York State police tweeted that swatting incidents in which a caller states that there is an active shooter in a school have occurred across the state. "All of the reports are unfounded. We are working alongside our federal & local partners to investigate the threats," they said.

The Pleasantville Police Department received a call falsely reporting an active shooter at Pleasantville High School, district officials said. "This resulted in a police response and school lockdown. The Pleasantville Police Department determined the threat was not credible, and everyone was safe. Similar calls were made to school districts in the area with the intent to cause disruption. Police agencies are currently investigating who was responsible for the calls."

Chappaqua Superintendent Christine Ackerman released a statement:

This morning, the New Castle Police Department received an anonymous call that there was a shooting at Horace Greeley High School. The building went into lock down immediately and we began our safety protocols. While the NCPD were able to determine the threat was not credible, it is important that we always follow our lockdown protocols when incidents like this occur on our campus.After a thorough investigation, it has been determined that there was no shooting at the high school. This phone call was made with the intention to alarm and scare people, causing unnecessary panic and concern. We take these incidents very seriously and our priority is always to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.I want to reassure our community that we have taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our high school and our students. We have been working closely with law enforcement officials and we will continue to do so to ensure that our schools remain a safe and secure environment for our students and staff.In light of this incident, we will be reviewing our safety protocols and procedures to ensure that we are well-prepared to handle any emergency situation that may arise. We encourage all members of our community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement officials.I will send a follow up communication later this evening.

It happened in Putnam Valley, too.

"The Sheriff's Office is aware of the recent swatting calls targeting New York State schools, including one in Putnam Valley. The Sheriff's Office is actively investigating the calls, and extra patrols have been dispatched throughout the county to ensure the safety of students and faculty," The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. "Sheriff Kevin McConville stated, 'currently, there is no threat to any of our schools.' All schools are in session, and we are out there to protect the children, teachers and staff of our schools."

And in Yonkers. Yonkers police said they received a phone call shortly before 8 a.m. reporting shots fired inside Gorton High School. The first police officer arrived within a minute, police said. Officers searched the school which was placed into lockdown and determined that no shots were fired and the school was safe; the call was a hoax. The lockdown was lifted and the school resumed normal operations.

"Yonkers Police investigators are working to identify the caller and effect an arrest. Additional hoax calls were made to other schools in Westchester and surrounding counties. At this time there are no credible threats to any Yonkers public or private school, but as always, community members are advised to call us at (914) 377-7900 to report any suspicious behavior - emergencies dial 9-1-1," they said in an email alert to city residents.

Around Albany, several districts went on lockdown after reports of violence or potential violence, The Times Union reported.

Ossining was not a target, but its Superintendent Ray Sanchez sent an email to families:

We have been made aware of several apparent "swatting" incidents involving school districts in our region this morning. "Swatting" is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person's address.

There has been absolutely no threat to our schools, "swatting" or otherwise. But, we wanted to make you aware of this situation, and assure you that we are in close communication with Ossining PD. Our entire administrative team is in communication on this topic along with our security consultants, Altaris. We will be guided by our well-practiced drill procedures in the event of any threat to our schools.

In the event of a threat in our district, we will communicate with the community as promptly as possible. Please be aware that all statements or actions that suggest a threat to the safety and security of our school populations are taken seriously. Any such statement comes with significant consequences, even if they are made jokingly and/or are deemed as not credible. The District recognizes the need to be transparent regarding incidents that may impact our school community. We will always act out of an abundance of caution to ensure all our students and staff are safe.

Similar incidents were reported Wednesday in Pennsylvania.

Editor's Note: One school district initially included in a News 12 list of schools that had been swatted did not receive a threat. It has been removed from this article.