Safety Concerns Arise from Repeat Swattings
A recent swatting that occurred at Abraham Lincoln High is a continuation of similar incidents.
By Bibi Sediqi
A recent swatting that occurred at Abraham Lincoln High is a continuation of similar incidents.
By Bibi Sediqi
On Oct. 12, at approximately 10:55 a.m., Abraham Lincoln High School received a call stating that an active shooter was threatening students. This turned out to be a part of a recent trend called “swatting,” where fake threat calls are made, often resulting in police responses as if a shooter were on site.
According to research by NPR, 182 schools in 28 states received false threat calls between just Sept. 13 and Oct. 21. Many of those incidents allegedly involve similar voices for their callers and similar styles of call. In many cases, a man who some say sounds African gives a series of short warnings about the school and possible suspicious activity.
An email was issued by San Jose Unified School District shortly after giving an explanation of the event that occurred at Lincoln.
“The San José Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office responded immediately to Lincoln High based on the report, as though an active shooter was on campus. Their response was extremely thorough, with the safety of our students and employees as their top priority. We are fortunate to have emergency responders that share our commitment to safety,” the email said.
Staff and students cooperated accordingly with law enforcement and no one was injured during the incident.
“While this hoax was an incomprehensible act, it demonstrated that our students, employees, and law enforcement partners are ready in the event of an actual emergency. All involved acted quickly with a focus on the safety of our students and employees.
In these situations, all available employees are actively working to ensure the safety of our students. Our employees did an excellent job remaining calm and following emergency procedures at Merritt Trace Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle, and Abraham Lincoln High, and we want to thank families at these schools for their support and understanding as we work to resolve the situation,” the email said.
Pioneer takes such matters seriously and has many precautions in place for the safety of students and staff members.
“We take these situations seriously and we hope that the student or that person that called in gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I feel the biggest message is letting the community know how serious of a crime this is,” said Gavello. “We already have procedures in place, as far as communications with our resource officers,” said Assistant Principal of Student Services Tim Gavello.
English teacher Beth Stafford is a Trace Elementary parent of a student that was near the site of the swatting.
“I think we want to keep people calm, we don't want to alarm anyone. But as a parent and teacher in the district, I think giving more details would be better. II think a lot of times the district communication can be pretty brief, but I would prefer more details, the more specificity that they can share in their communication, the better,” said Stafford.
According to research by NPR, 182 schools in 28 states received false threat calls between just Sept. 13 and Oct. 21. Many of those incidents allegedly involve similar voices for their callers and similar styles of call. In many cases, a man who some say sounds African gives a series of short warnings about the school and possible suspicious activity.
An email was issued by San Jose Unified School District shortly after giving an explanation of the event that occurred at Lincoln.
“The San José Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office responded immediately to Lincoln High based on the report, as though an active shooter was on campus. Their response was extremely thorough, with the safety of our students and employees as their top priority. We are fortunate to have emergency responders that share our commitment to safety,” the email said.
Staff and students cooperated accordingly with law enforcement and no one was injured during the incident.
“While this hoax was an incomprehensible act, it demonstrated that our students, employees, and law enforcement partners are ready in the event of an actual emergency. All involved acted quickly with a focus on the safety of our students and employees.
In these situations, all available employees are actively working to ensure the safety of our students. Our employees did an excellent job remaining calm and following emergency procedures at Merritt Trace Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle, and Abraham Lincoln High, and we want to thank families at these schools for their support and understanding as we work to resolve the situation,” the email said.
Pioneer takes such matters seriously and has many precautions in place for the safety of students and staff members.
“We take these situations seriously and we hope that the student or that person that called in gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I feel the biggest message is letting the community know how serious of a crime this is,” said Gavello. “We already have procedures in place, as far as communications with our resource officers,” said Assistant Principal of Student Services Tim Gavello.
English teacher Beth Stafford is a Trace Elementary parent of a student that was near the site of the swatting.
“I think we want to keep people calm, we don't want to alarm anyone. But as a parent and teacher in the district, I think giving more details would be better. II think a lot of times the district communication can be pretty brief, but I would prefer more details, the more specificity that they can share in their communication, the better,” said Stafford.