Another unsubstantiated threat received by Shen. Valley Monday
SHENANDOAH – For the second time in a week, Shenandoah Valley Schools received an unsubstantiated threat, school officials said Monday.
Superintendent Brian Waite, in a letter to the school community, said the district received unsubstantiated threats today and communicated with local and county authorities.
“The district was able to ascertain the threats were NOT credible, with both students and staff safe,” Waite said. “The threats received are known as swatting. As per the FBI, the term swatting is the filing of a false report to create chaos.”
Waite emphasized that the safety of students and staff “continues to be our top priority.”
“The district will continue to assess each threat and respond accordingly,” Waite said. “We continue to ask families to report any threats received to the school district and local authorities.”
Last Friday, Shenandoah Valley, along with Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill, and districts across the northeastern U.S., received threats, prompting early dismissals for some.
The FBI’s Philadelphia office told the Sentinel in a statement Friday:
“Hoax threats to schools and other institutions continue to be a problem in Pennsylvania and across the country. Not only do they cause disruption and undue stress for those targeted, hoax threats drain law enforcement resources and divert authorities from responding to an actual crisis. The FBI and our law enforcement partners take hoax threats very seriously — they’re not a joke, they’re a crime, and perpetrators can face local or federal charges resulting in prison time. We’d urge anyone considering making a hoax threat to think about the potential consequences first, and we’d ask the public to report any threats or other suspicious activity they see to law enforcement.”
About Author
