Two area high schools have false 911 'robo calls' of an active shooter on campus
On Dec. 1, two area high schools were in lockdown mode after calls were made to two 911 centers about threats on both campuses.
Both of these calls were determined to be "robo calls" with false claims of active shooters, law enforcement from both Henderson and Transylvania counties said.
One 911 call was made around noon about an active shooter at North Henderson High School, according to a news release from Henderson County Public Schools. Transylvania County Schools also posted on its Facebook page that a 911 call had been made about a threat on its campus earlier that morning.
Later in the afternoon, law enforcement reported that both schools were safe, and both were no longer on lockdown.
"At approximately 12:03 p.m. today, the Henderson County 911 call center received a robo call falsely reporting an active assailant at North Henderson," Kimbrell Arrowood, the Public Information Officer for Henderson County Public Schools, said. "Students and staff at North Henderson High School and Apple Valley Middle School immediately went under a lockdown while the (Henderson County) Sheriff’s Department responded to the report."
Arrowood said at approximately 12:22 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department determined both campuses safe and cleared them to resume normal operations.
"Once again, the report received by the Henderson County 911 call center was determined to be false and the Sheriff’s Department has determined both campuses safe to resume normal school activities. The safety of the students and both schools has, and continues to be, maintained at all times," Arrowood said.
At 2:40 p.m., the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office reported that the emergency protocols at Brevard High School had been lifted as well.
"Students are leaving the school now, and parents are also here picking up kids. Everyone is safe," Captain Jeremy Queen of the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office said.
Queen also confirmed that the robo call said there was an active shooter on campus. Transylvania County Schools put out an alert on its Facebook page at approximately 1 p.m., letting everyone know that all students and staff were safe.
"Late this morning, on Thursday, December 1, 2022, Brevard High School received a phone call from someone claiming there was a possible threat on campus. Multiple law enforcement agencies and additional school system staff immediately responded. Led by the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Department, the entire campus is being cleared, and students and staff are safe in the building," the post said.
All Transylvania County Schools moved into the emergency protocol out of an abundance of precaution.
"... students will remain in the school buildings until all protocols are lifted. The safety of our students and staff members is always our primary concern, and we will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available," the post said.
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook page that "this incident is almost identical to other 'robo' calls that have occurred at approximately 15 other high schools across the nation in recent days.
Earlier this week, the same kind of false reports of active shooters at schools were made in Georgia. According to a report by television station Fox 5 News in Atlanta, the calls were made to seven high schools across the state. Mo Canady with the National Association of School Resource Officers said in the report that since September, more than 30 other states have been hit with swatting calls to multiple schools.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Two area high schools have false 911 'robo calls' of an active shooter on campus
