‘No credibility’ to threats made against Ohio schools
HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) — Police patrols will be increased at some central Ohio school districts on Monday after a reported 52 school districts statewide received emails from a Russian account targeting American schools with explosives.
Hilliard City Schools, Logan-Hocking Local Schools, Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, Westerville City Schools, Worthington City Schools, Hamilton Local Schools, and Athens City Schools are just a handful of the Ohio school districts that received the emails.
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After receiving the emails, Hilliard administrators contacted local law enforcement, which then contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In a message to parents, Hilliard superintendent David Stewart said there was no credible threat tied to the emails.
In the Logan-Hocking district, technology coordinator Josh Straus, in a message to families, said the email contained “a general, non-specific threat to student safety.”
Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp posted about similar threats made against county school districts, also stating there was no credibility to them.
Messages to parents in the Westerville and Athens districts said the emails threatened to target schools with explosives.
Alexander Local Schools in Athens County posted to its Facebook page that it was among 52 Ohio school districts to report receiving the emails. The district said it will open two hours later on Monday to have the school building and grounds checked for safety. The district also specified that the threat was related to explosives.
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Steward, Straus, and the other districts essentially said the same thing: they were informed by law enforcement that there was no credibility to the threat in the emails.
“Based on the nearly identical language of the emails and the emails being sent to hundreds of schools nationwide, the Department of Homeland Security determined that these emails are hoax emails, otherwise known as ‘swatting’ emails, which are simply meant to incite panic without any merit or actual threat to the safety of students or the community at large,” Straus wrote.
Hilliard, Logan-Hocking, and Worthington said they will have increased police patrols at district buildings on Monday. Stewart’s statement said the increased patrols are “out of an abundance of caution,” adding that the increase is meant to help ease anxiety and concern that the threats can cause.
Along with the patrols, Logan-Hocking will excuse students without question should parents decide to keep them home, Straus wrote.
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Stewart’s full message to families is below:
Dear Families:
Earlier today, some Hilliard school administrators received email messages from an account that claims to be a Russian organization targeting American schools. We can confirm that school districts throughout Central Ohio and throughout the country received the same messages, and it’s confirmed that many notified their local law enforcement agencies.
Upon receipt, we promptly notified Hilliard police officials, who contacted the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI was aware of the messages and stated that there was no credibility to the claims. The Hilliard Police Department and the FBI recommend proceeding with normal operations.
Out of an abundance of caution, police patrols will increase around our school buildings tomorrow. This is not because the threats have any credibility but because we know any type of threat can cause anxiety and concern, and we are committed to maintaining the highest level of service and care for our community.
We will continue to work with local law enforcement. If you or your student sees or hears anything of concern, please report it to the Hilliard Police.
Sincerely,
David Stewart
Hilliard City Schools Superintendent
Several schools in Texas also received threats on Friday reportedly from a Russian source. The FBI in that case called the threats “clearly hoax threats.” In the Logan-Hocking message, Straus said the Ohio Department of Homeland Security tied the district’s message to the Texas threats as well as to threats received by California schools last month.
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