At the time this blog was written, we were still a couple of weeks from the NJEA’s annual teacher convention and already there has been a wave of active shooter hoax calls made throughout the state (and the country, for that matter). On October 14, 2022 alone, authorities received reports of active shooter threats at about 10 New Jersey schools; in all cases, the reports were proven to be false.
The New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell (within the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness) categorizes hoax calls like these as swatting – “a false report of an ongoing emergency or threat of violence intended to prompt an immediate tactical law enforcement response.”
These swatting calls are trending rapidly all across the United States according to the National Association of School Resource Officers. Mo Canady, NASRO Executive Director, told Colorado’s KKTV last month that these fake school shooting calls can have a deep impact on the mental health of parents, staff, and students. “Whether it’s real violence or assumed violence that’s occurring, there’s no question in my mind that that’s going to have significant impact on the mental health of students,” he said.
In a study conducted by Pew Research Center, out of 3,757 U.S. parents, about 32% say they are very or extremely worried about a shooting ever happening at their children’s school. With the increasing numbers of swattings, these percentages are sure to increase.
In September of this year, the Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio was placed on lockdown after a report of a possible active shooter in the school. Some students became overwhelmed by the possible situation and notified their parents. AP News explains how this resulted in a throng of anxious parents descending upon the school and one man shoving his fist through a window in an effort to gain entry to the school.
“This is no way to live,” lamented Alexander Ooms, a father in Denver Colorado, to Newsweek.
You are correct Mr. Ooms, this is no way to live. Yet, schools are in a tough position to curtail these swatting calls because they must respond to each threat as if it is real. Amanda Klinger, director of programs and co-founder of the Educator’s School Safety Network, told WIRED last month that there may be a different route on how to handle false reports like swattings. Klinger believes in updating communication plans with clear and concise language to be used during emergencies and communication with parents.
At KDNFS, we offer our clients free service when reviewing their communication plans. We will guide them on what we think is best for the safety of the staff members and students. However, if our clients would like us to do any additional reviews and/or services of their emergency plans, it will cost an additional fee.
The KDNFS School Security System was specifically developed, and custom designed for Pre-K through 12th-grade educational environments. Our tested and proven system is highly regarded by educators, law enforcement agencies, parent-teacher associations, the community, and school boards.
KDNFS is a privately owned, bonded, and fully insured company comprised of credentialed and experienced law-enforcement experts. We set the standard in school security and all of our professional Security Specialists have more than 20 years of experience. To learn more about how KDNFS can protect you from senseless violence, contact us at info@kdnfs.com or (609) 635-5037.
