Schools across the state see fake threats

Schools across the state see fake threats

NEW YORK STATE--Gov. Kathy Hochul announced heightened monitoring of schools in response to the recent increase in "swatting" calls, or the false reporting of a serious law enforcement emergency, such as a bomb threat, hostage situation, or homicide, across the state and country. Hochul met with state public safety and education leaders last week to coordinate preparedness and safety measures and ensure that all school districts and local police have the latest guidance on school safety protocols.
"Every child in New York deserves to feel safe at school and every parent should trust that their child will return home at the end of every day," Hochul said. "State and local law enforcement are conducting increased monitoring to make sure that all of our students are safe, and our first responders are always prepared in the event of an emergency. While these false threats of violence occur across the country, New York is taking proactive steps so that they do not become a reality."
Last Thursday, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office was one of the most recent examples of being contacted with a false report about violence at a school. Various other incidents have occurred in the Rochester area over the last month.
New York State Police Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli said, "Providing a safe and secure learning environment for our children and teachers is our number one priority. Rest assured, we proactively work with our agency partners on the School Safety Improvement Team as well as our local law enforcement partners to support their efforts, and we will continue to do so. Let me be clear, swatting incidents such as this, which disrupt our schools and divert valuable state resources, will not be tolerated and we are committed to finding those responsible."
In addition to meeting with public safety and education leaders, Hochul collaborated with police and the state education department to issue a letter to school leaders directing them to review preparedness and safety measures.
The letter said in part, "It is particularly important to facilitate a safe and calm culture of preparedness, as well as clear communication between law enforcement and school officials...In addition to the close relationships you have developed with your local law enforcement agencies, NYSED and state police will continue to monitor this situation closely, and state police school community outreach coordinators will be following up directly with the school districts who received the threats to ensure they have all the information and to answer any questions."