‘Hoax’ threats put schools on alert
Statewide authorities are investigating after apparent hoax callers claiming to be armed and headed to schools put two Boston high schools and others across the state on alert.
In Boston, the threat was that the person calling the cops was en route to East Boston High School or Charlestown High school with a gun, according to letters sent home to families.
Elsewhere, seemingly the same threat format took place in multiple towns including Amesbury and Westfield, according to state police — who say that its “Fusion Center” — where state, local and federal authorities can combine resources — is “assisting in the investigation into the source of the calls.”
State police spokesman David Procopio characterized the threats as “hoax ‘swatting’ calls,” referring to the practice of calling in a fake report in order to bring a huge police response to somewhere as a prank.
In Boston, public schools Superintendent Mary Skipper thanked police for their quick response and added, “Our team takes any threats against students and staff very seriously, and these incidents create unnecessary anxiety and stress for our students, staff, and families. This also takes school and city resources away from our communities.”
She said Boston Public Schools “condemn this hoax that happened here and in communities across Massachusetts in the strongest possible terms. Our students and staff deserve to work in environments in which they all feel safe, respected, and academically challenged, and we will never stop working to build these environments.”
East Boston High and Charlestown High heads of school Phillip Brangiforte and Ajay Trivedi sent letters to their respective student bodies’ families wrote that “School staff immediately worked with BPS Safety Services and Boston Police to investigate the nature of this threat.”
Both wrote that “Safe Mode” — where no one’s let in or out of the building — :was lifted after it was determined that there was no threat to the safety of students and staff.”
Threats of violence called in — even fake ones like this — have made the news lately both nationally and locally. Around the country, “swatting” instances have made headlines, with cops and others saying they create dangerous situations. Locally, and on a somewhat different note, the feds have charged multiple people with calling in politically motivated bomb threats.