A threat against Castle High School found to be a “likely hoax” on Monday came from a caller whose number was used in a similar fake threat in another part of the country.
That’s according to a letter Warrick County School Corp. Superintendent Abbie Redmon sent to parents Monday evening, hours after Castle went into a brief lockdown that led to all afterschool events getting canceled.
Redmon’s letter lays out a timeline of how the threat came in and how the school responded. It was one of several notifications obtained by the Courier & Press that parents and guardians received Monday as the ordeal unfolded.
An office staff member fielded the call around 1:25 p.m., one of the notifications said.
“The caller indicated he was a threat, let in the building by a friend, and was in one of the restrooms,” Redmon’s letter reads. “CHS immediately went into lockdown.”
An earlier notification said the caller claimed to have a weapon of some kind, although it doesn’t say what.
Students and teachers were confined to their classrooms while officials from the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office swept the school − especially all the bathrooms − for any sign of danger. In one notification to parents, the school corporation told adults not to come to Castle. Anyone who did, it said, would be turned away from campus.
Once no threat was found, law enforcement released classrooms one at a time “as a final safety measure,” the letter reads. They then remained at the school until every student was gone.
“Investigating officers obtained information that the same incoming phone number was used in another part of the country today with a similar threat, suggesting a likely hoax,” Redmon wrote.
The letter doesn’t state where the other threat was directed. Warrick County School Corp. officials didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Courier & Press Monday. In a text message to a Courier & Press reporter, Warrick Sheriff Mike Wilder described the call as a likely prank that came from “out of the area.”
“We will continue to investigate to make sure 100% that was it,” he said.
Online searches for threats against schools turn up a distressing number of similar stories. Facilities across the U.S. dealt with either nefarious calls or social media posts this week and last. It’s become exceedingly common, especially on the heels of school shootings like the ones in Denver and Minneapolis. The latter is just resuming limited activities this week, almost three weeks after a 23-year-old former student opened fire on students inside Annunciation Catholic School’s church, killing two children and injuring 21 people.
Castle was back on a normal schedule Tuesday. In her letter, Redmon thanks parents and students for remaining calm, and praises police for their response. She also says any student needing to report a “legitimate safety concern” can do so by “using our P3 reporting system, by calling/emailing a staff member, or by calling 911.”
“The Warrick County School Corporation understands that events like today produce feelings of anxiety and fear,” the letter reads in part. “… Additionally, we share your frustration with people who purposely cause alarm with the intent to disrupt our daily lives, as was the case with today’s situation.
“We want to reassure you WCSC always approaches every threat as credible and will implement all safety measures until proven otherwise.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Phone number in Castle High School hoax reportedly used in another U.S. threat
Reporting by Jon Webb and Sarah Loesch, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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