Schools should prepare in advance for “swatting” incidents—anonymous, false shooting reports that trigger a law enforcement response, cause major disruptions, and stoke fear in students, two federal agencies recommended.
The top priority for schools should be to keep students safe while administrators work with law enforcement to determine if such reports are hoaxes, the U.S. departments of Education and Justice said in guidance issued Sept. 25.
“Incidents of swatting in educational environments have increased in recent years, causing significant disruption and trauma to students, teachers, and staff, as well as their families,” the guidance says. “Swatting also costs taxpayers millions of dollars in personnel and equipment, lost classroom time, and property damage.”
In a swatting attempt, a malicious actor calls 911 to report a shooting in progress at a school, often providing specific, false details while they claim to be inside the building. Past investigations have determined the calls came from both local pranksters and efforts coordinated by more sophisticated overseas actors.
In a swatting incident, police officers often rush to the scene as they would for a real emergency, barging into classrooms with weapons and startling unsuspecting students and educators. Such incidents often trigger lockdowns and corresponding notifications to families, who typically aren’t aware the incident may be a hoax when they receive automated texts and calls about safety precautions.
In a related trend also addressed in the guidance, false, anonymous threats of bombings or shootings have spread quickly on social media in recent years, leading administrators to cancel classes while authorities investigate.
Schools have experienced waves of swatting incidents in recent years, and callers often target clusters of schools in the same region on the same day or week. Schools in Connecticut, Idaho, and Nebraska reported incidents in September.
“Threats facing our schools are very different than they were just a decade ago,” said Ronnell Higgins, the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, during a Sept. 4 press conference covered by local television news station WTNH.
Guidance recommends school officials learn to identify characteristics of a fake threat
Perpetrators of swatting calls likely violate federal laws, including those prohibiting interstate threatening communication, bomb threats, and computer-related fraud, the new guidance said.
The agencies recommend that schools put in place the following measures:
- Train staff on the characteristics of a false report and how to gather information from callers that will help determine its validity.
- Conduct tabletop exercises on school safety responses that include steps to determine if a threat is a hoax.
- Stress the importance of first ensuring students are safe before investigating.
- Coordinate in advance with law enforcement.
- Teach students a “Report, Don’t Repost” approach when they see anonymous threats on social media to limit the spread of false information.
The agencies also shared links to past federal resources and training on swatting and anonymous threats.
Ohio-based school safety consultant Ken Trump welcomed the new federal guidance.
It’s important for schools to have clear procedures, including designating specific staff members to communicate with law enforcement, well before a swatting incident happens, he said.
Schools must also not get complacent about maintaining their safety practices after a hoax report because future incidents may be real, Trump said.
“School officials and law enforcement must thoroughly investigate all threats to determine their credibility, but threats must initially be taken seriously,” he said.
