Oakland schools officials ask families for help as it sees 'disturbing increase' in threats to schools
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) asked its school community for help, as it faced what it called a "disturbing increase" of threats against schools or specific individuals through the use of social media.
The district sent out letters to students’ families on Tuesday, saying several OUSD middle and high schools have been at the center of such threats. In some instances, they’ve led to campus lockdowns, mass absences and the involvement of the police department.
The district emphasized that it took the threats seriously and was required to report such cases to law enforcement.
The district said in addition to the online threats, it was also dealing with other types of disruptions including someone writing threatening words on a school wall.
And last month, a hoax call about an active shooter was made to McClymonds High School. That led to police responding to the school on high alert.
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The incident at McClymonds appeared to be a coordinated effort at schools around the Bay Area that became victim to the tactic known as swatting, in which a fake call is made with the intention to draw a large police response.
"This happened to at least five other high schools around the Bay Area on the same day, in a likely coordinated hoax," OUSD said.
District officials said while none of the threats have materialized to be credible, they've taken a toll on the school community.
"We want all students to understand the harm that these threats can cause for students, staff, families, and our entire community," officials said adding, "That can include unnecessary fear, time taken away from school staff, missed classroom time, and increased police presence to respond to threats of - or reports of - possible violence, all of which can disrupt entire school communities."
Officials urged families to talk to their kids about the dangers of not just posting threats but re-posting them, which they said led to an exacerbation of the problem and allowed the hoaxers' intentions to be amplified.
"We want students to make better choices to build a more positive Oakland," district officials said.