ALBANY —Several school districts are on lockdown in response to unfounded reports of active shooters.
Albany school officials sent an email to Albany teachers saying there had been a report of a shooting at a school, but that “no evidence to substantiate this report has been discovered at this time.”
East Greenbush was also on lockdown, and teachers said they received texts from other teachers at Schodack and others districts describing the same situation.
Troy police said they investigated similar unfounded reports at the high and middle schools
“Reports of an active shooter at Albany High School are completely unfounded. All students and staff at the school are safe. There have been several swatting phone calls made across the Capital Region and state and we’re investigating,” Officer Steve Smith, a spokesman for the Albany Police Department, tweeted.
The Associated Press reported a spate of threats and false reports of shooters have been pouring into schools and colleges across the country for months, raising concerns among law enforcement and elected leaders.
Schools in Pennsylvania were the latest targeted by so-called swatting. Computer-generated calls on Wednesday made claims about active shooters, but it was all a hoax. One day earlier, nearly 30 Massachusetts schools received fake threats.
On Thursday, district officials in East Greenbush said, “parents should not go to schools until further notice.”
“We have been in contact with law enforcement and they advised us to remain in a lockdown until further notice. Our school staff is following lockdown procedures,” the district wrote on its website. “The presence of law enforcement is being increased at all of our schools as a precaution.”
School officials are already on edge amid a backdrop of deadly school shootings, the…
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