Swatting incidents reported at several schools in MetroWest, Greater Milford

The day after more than two dozen towns received what authorities say were hoax calls that reported school shooters inside area high schools, police departments continue to investigate.

On Tuesday, 28 Massachusetts communities received similar threats that began with calls to local police departments reporting violence occurring at high schools, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

Locally, there were swatting calls Tuesday morning at Algonquin Regional, Framingham, Franklin, Hudson, Medway and Milford high schools.

"Detectives will continue to work together with other law enforcement agencies, including the Mass. State Police and the FBI," Milford police said in a statement.

The calls came the day after six people — three adults and three children — were killed in a Tennessee school shooting.

"This has been going on throughout the state," Milford Deputy Police Chief Robert Tusino said. "We didn't take this as a false call, but we had our suspicions. Unfortunately, we have to take this seriously in this day and age."

Schools in Attleboro, Dedham, Foxborough, Mansfield, Marshfield and Taunton were also victims of swatting.

Swatting is the act of making a false report of a crime to draw a large response of emergency personnel to a certain area.

In Framingham, the swatting incident comes just a few weeks after an active shooter alarm accidentally sounded at Framingham High School, sending students rushing from the school in fear that there was a shooter inside.

'Students running down the street.':Framingham High School senior recounts terror of false alarm

On Tuesday, Framingham police received the hoax call at 11:34 a.m. about a threat inside the high school, Superintendent of Schools Robert Tremblay said in a release.

The staff and students were ordered to stay-in-place and classes continued as police and school officials searched the school. The stay-in-place order was lifted at 11:47 a.m.

'Another case of swatting'

"We believe this to be another case of swatting or a fake phone call to emergency responders regarding a fake incident," Tremblay said in the release. "This same type of threat has been reported at several Massachusetts schools over the last several months and has been impacting school districts around the nation this school year. I know how concerning these situations can be, and I want to reassure you that we are committed to the safety of our students and employees."

The Northborough Police Department, at 11:39 a.m., received a hoax call reporting an "active threat" at Algonquin Regional High School.

Northborough police, along with Southborough, Marlborough and Westborough police, responded to the school and did a sweep and determined there was no actual threat, Northborough police said in a release.

In Franklin, according to a School Department press release, an unknown person called the Franklin Police Department at 9:02 a.m. and said there was a hostage situation involving a possible school shooter at the high school.

The school was immediately placed on administrative lockdown, with all students and staff in classrooms and no one being allowed in or out of the school.

'It's a swatting call':Framingham police respond to report of a shooting that turns out to be a hoax

Police and school administrators searched the school and determined it was a false call, according to the release.

In Hudson, the Police Department received a hoax call at 11:34 a.m. The department's school resource officer was in the high school at the time and he and other officers conducted a search and confirmed it was a hoax within minutes, Chief Richard DiPersio said in a release.

"These events are no doubt frightening and unsettling," he said. "We want to assure the community we remain dedicated and prepared to protect the students and staff of all schools in Hudson and their safety is our top priority."

In Milford, someone called the Police Department at 9:08 a.m. and said there was a shooting at the high school, Tusino said. The students and staff sheltered-in-place while the police, using police dogs and drones, did a search inside and outside the building and the entire school grounds.

"The whole building was cleared within 30 minutes," said Tusino. "It actually went very, very well."

School returned to normal after the incident, according to a Milford Public Schools release.

Medway police received a call shortly after 9 a.m. reporting an "armed intruder" had gone into the high school and there were five victims, Police Chief WIlliam Kingsbury said in a release. The caller provided police with a description.

Kingsbury said police and school officials searched the school and determined it was a hoax. Police also conducted searches of all other town schools as a precaution.

Bellingham, Sherborn, Hopkinton and Hopedale police departments sent officers to all town schools as a precaution, though they did not receive threats.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Several Massachusetts high schools targeted in swatting calls