A swatting incident was reported at Roslyn Middle School Wednesday afternoon, reflecting a national trend of the emergency prank calls that have plagued other schools and local officials.
“Regrettably, swatting incidents are on the rise, both nationally and locally,” Roslyn Superintendent of Schools Allison Brown said in a letter to parents. “They involve making
prank calls with the intention of mobilizing a significant number of police resources to a specific location.”
According to Brown, the school received a “threatening phone call” that prompted them to enact an emergency response protocol.
Law enforcement was contacted and students were in a “hold-in-place” – meaning movements were restricted within the building but a lockdown was not enacted.
Nassau County police said they were contacted by the school reporting the threat at 12:42 p.m. The superintendent said they responded within minutes.
Police determined that there was no threat to the building, students or staff and that no danger was posed at any time, according to the superintendent’s letter.
While Nassau County Police were still investigating the incident at the school when contacted at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, they said they already determined the threat to be unfounded.
“We remain grateful to them for their quick and thorough response, as well as their continued
focus on our school community,” Brown said in the letter.
Nassau County police responded to the incident with its arson bomb squad and homeland security.
Brown said in a letter to parents that a lockdown was not enforced in response to the incident because it was not warranted. She did not expand on why it was not necessary but said that law enforcement and the Roslyn District Emergency Response Team determined a hold-in-place to be appropriate.
“During situations such as these, it is important to rely on accurate information from the District and official sources, and I ask that you exercise caution when sharing unverified information,” Brown said in the letter. “Roslyn School District remains committed to keeping you informed, and will always place the safety of our students and staff above all else.”
The swatting incident at Roslyn Middle School comes two weeks after Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over ex-President Donald Trump’s civil trial for fraud in Manhattan, had his Great Neck home swatted after a phony bomb threat was reported.
The swatting of Engoron’s home, which was also found to be unfounded, came days after another swatting against Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over Trump’s federal election interference case.
In October, a wave of swatting incidents was reported at schools throughout New York State, hitting more than 10 school districts including those on Long Island.
Individuals who may have information about the event can report it to the Roslyn School District or the Nassau County Police Department at (516) 573-9777.
