Police: Conn. school threats follow national trend
A series of Connecticut school threats in recent weeks have followed a national trend and caused a “heightened level of anxiety” among students and educators, officials said.
There have been about 10 Connecticut incidents in recent weeks. All of the incidents appear to have been hoaxes and led to arrests of minors in Waterbury and Danbury.
The incidents come amid a similar wave of school threats around the country. In Minnesota, at least 14 schools were involved in “swatting” calls last Wednesday, according to local TV station FOX9. All of the threats were traced to one individual, the outlet reported. Similar reports of swatting appeared in Louisiana on Thursday and in Colorado last Monday.
Waterbury police said the incident that led to an arrest on Thursday “appears to be related to the wider trend of school threats that have been reported nationally.”
In that incident, police said a “threatening message” was sent to a Waterbury Arts Magnet School student, prompting everyone inside to shelter in place for several hours. Police said the investigation led to the arrest of a 17year-old boy, who was charged with first-degree threatening and seconddegree breach of peace. The teen was not a student at the school, according to police.
A minor was also arrested Thursday for a social media threat related to Danbury High School, police said. Danbury police said the threat was deemed not credible.
It’s not the first time the state’s schools have faced a barrage of unsubstantiated threats of violence. Last winter, a similar wave of school threats halted learning at schools around the state, resulting in a few arrests. In the city of Norwalk, one high school saw three threats in rapid succession in early December of last year. Police later charged a teenager in connection with those threats, saying the teen had been aided by a person in Europe who he communicated with through an online messaging service.
State police said Connecticut’s intelligence center monitors “specific trends” while each incident is investigated by either local police or state police troop responsible for patrolling the area where the school is located.
“The most important thing parents should talk with their children about is, ‘if you see something, say something,” ’ said Trooper First Class Sarah Salerno, a spokesperson for the state police. “Please tell an adult immediately or call 911 if you become aware of any threat to school safety — whether it’s overheard, handwritten, emailed, communicated by phone, sent in private text messages or posted on social media platforms. These reports are taken very seriously and are investigated thoroughly.”
Threats involving Connecticut schools began as early as two weeks ago, when a social media post that contained a potential threat led officials to postpone a Sept. 8 football game in Bridgeport. The seasonopening game between Bridgeport Central and Bullard-Havens/Kolbe Cathedral was scheduled to be played in Bridgeport’s Kennedy Stadium.
A spokesperson for the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System said the administration “was made aware of an image posted to social media, which indicated a possible threat against the school community.”
On Sept. 16, the FBI reported learning of a “social media post posing a threat to an unidentified school in Connecticut,” Watertown police said.
Watertown, Brookfield, Southington and other municipalities investigated whether the threat was directed at their schools. The threat was determined to be unfounded, but led to schools being delayed in Watertown.
Southington school officials said they had been notified by the FBI about “a Twitter account threat mentioning a school shooting.”
“No specific location or information was detailed,” Assistant Superintendent of Schools Frank Pepe wrote in a message to families.
Several more threats were reported around Connecticut in rapid succession last week — including multiple incidents in Waterbury.
On Tuesday, a bomb threat led to the evacuation of Waterbury’s Kennedy High School, police said. Then on Thursday, authorities also investigated a threat made on social media directed at Crosby High School, along with the threat at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School that led to charges against hte 17-year-old.
On Wednesday, students were dismissed early from Windham High School, after a call that morning warned of a “an armed intruder” in the school, the superintendent said. The school was placed on lockdown, along with the attached central offices. Classes at nearby Eastern Connecticut State University were also disrupted by the incident.
A search by police found no threat existed, but school officials dismissed Windham High early due to the “heightened level of anxiety building wide,” the superintendent said.
On Monday, authorities in Waterbury evacuated the Enlightenment School, a school for middle and high school students with truancy and behavioral issues, after an anonymous bomb threat. “The school has been safely evacuated and the incident remains under investigation,” Waterbury police confirmed.