A letter, signed jointly by West Hartford’s police chief and superintendent of schools, was sent to families on Thursday.

By Ronni Newton

Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus and Police Chief Vernon Riddick emailed a letter to the West Hartford Public Schools community via email on Thursday regarding the spate of swatting incidents that have recently been impacting schools in town, across the state, and nationally, asking families to commit to “report, not re-post” threatening messages.

“There are organized groups trolling social media to entice and enlist our students to participate in such swatting activities,” the letter states. “We seek your assistance in preventing such behavior through responsible communication and reporting. Students are urged to Report, Not Re-post any concerning or suspicious activity they encounter online or otherwise. Families are urged to speak to their children regarding the serious nature of these incidents and the importance of taking personal responsibility for the safety of our community by reporting such incidents through appropriate channels (speaking to a trusted adult, sharing with authorities, or reporting through anonymous alerts). It is critical to stress the importance to report, not re-post such messages.  Re-posting a message spreads the threat and creates fear while reporting initiates actions to stop the threat and lessen the fear.”

Vicinus said two swatting incidents that occurred this week – related to each of the high schools – precipitated the joint message.

“Calls follow a pattern of a person threatening harm prompting a significant police response,” Vicinus told We-Ha.com on Friday. “Conard received such a call after dismissal on Wednesday of this week and Hall received a similar report yesterday despite school not being in session. In each of these incidents, the reported claims and threats were quickly determined to be non-credible, however police response was swift and appropriate to ensure the safety of the community under the assumption of a real incident.”

A threat was also made last month, related to Conard High School, and was deemed non-credible.

While the incidents were not credible, swatting hoaxes – making a false report that elicits a significant response from emergency responders – tie up resources and disrupt the learning environment. Committing a hoax can lead to criminal charges for the person or group that has initiated the threat, and students who make such threats can also potentially be expelled from whole activities for up to 180 school days, Vicinus and Riddick said in their message.

“Collaboration between the West Hartford Public Schools and the West Hartford Police Department is part of our overall routine to ensure the safe operation of our schools and the safety of our students. That being said, the decision to send a joint letter providing transparency to the community regarding the presence and impact of these hoax threats as well as the serious nature relative to police response, legal, and school consequences was undertaken to ensure all in our community have an understanding of the impact of these incidents,” said Vicinus. “The frequency of events over the last several weeks has become a concern at the state level with communication shared through the Governor’s Office and a potential pending communication from the Commissioner of Education.

Across the country, the hoaxes have targeted not only schools but also churches, synagogues, and other community center. “These threats come on the heels of an uptick in gun violence and school shootings nationwide,” the letter from Vicinus and Riddick states. “As such, we take any such incident seriously and follow our respective law enforcement and school safety and security protocols.”

Many of the hoaxes are organized by groups that troll social media to enlist students to participate in such activities, and police and school administrators ask that families communicate with their children to “Report, Not Re-post” any online activity that they find concerning or suspicious.s

“Families are urged to speak to their children regarding the serious nature of these incidents and the importance of taking personal responsibility for the safety of our community by reporting such incidents through appropriate channels (speaking to a trusted adult, sharing with authorities, or reporting through anonymous alerts). It is critical to stress the importance to report, not re-post such messages. Re-posting a message spreads the threat and creates fear while reporting initiates actions to stop the threat and lessen the fear,” the letter states.

According to Vicinus, conversations about safety protocols have been and will be taking place in classrooms, and are being coordinated by principals.

Representatives from the West Hartford Police and the West Hartford Public Schools director of security were meeting with principals and other administrators on Friday, “to review the review the current rash of swatting calls, provide guidance, and answer questions to support principals in their leadership at the building level. As always, we are grateful for our collaboration with the WHPD and the service they provide to our schools and the community as we collectively work to ensure our top priority of student and community safety is upheld,” Vicinus said.

In Thursday’s letter to families, Vicinus and Riddick noted that the police department and schools have clear protocols and plans for a collaborative response to ensure the safety of all.

“As public service organizations, the safety of our community is our shared number one priority. We seek your support in meeting this responsibility by communicating within your home and making a commitment to report, not re-post,” they said.

• West Hartford Public Schools Anonymous Alerts https://www.anonymousalerts.com/westhartfordps/
• West Hartford Police Tip Line [email protected]
• Kids Health (search online safety) https://kidshealth.org/
• National Cybersecurity Alliance https://staysafeonline.org/online-safety-privacy-basics/talking-to-kids-teens/

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