Possible threat at Hillgrove High brings expanded police presence Friday
May 5—The Cobb County School District received word of a possible threat at Hillgrove High School Thursday night, leading it to expand the police presence at the school Friday.
The district, the Cobb County School District Police Department and the Cobb Police Department investigated the threat, according to a district spokesperson.
Though there was a greater police presence on campus Friday, the spokesperson said classes were not affected.
"We are also aware of a nationwide pattern of false rumors being intentionally spread by students today in districts across the country," the spokesperson said. "As always, we take every report of a threat, or rumor of a threat, seriously to help ensure our schools are secure and our students are safe."
John Floresta, the district's chief strategy and accountability officer, said the threat is part of a trend.
"A number of our schools received rumored threats throughout the day, each was investigated, and each were found to be exactly that — rumors spread by students on social media," Floresta said. "As informed by GEMA and the FBI today, unfounded rumor spreading, or 'swatting', was rampant across the metropolitan area. Swatting, or 'the use of technology to deceptively cause a heightened emergency and law enforcement response' is becoming a daily occurrence and our Team investigates each and every report as if they are true, until we know they are not."
