School Swatting Hoax

Joe Lyons • December 11, 2023

Multiple school districts across Ohio have received a Swatting Hoax, Ashland Schools have not according to Steve Paramore, Superintendent of Ashland City Schools. This threat has been deemed not credible by The Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force as well as the FBI who are currently tracking several of these “swatting” incidents.

Superintendent of Ashland City Schools Steve Paramore said in a text message “Ashland City has received absolutely nothing, we will be vigilant and transparent if we do.”

Message Update from Steve Paramore:

“Ashland City Schools would like to assure all parents that our organization has received no email threats toward the safety of our district. This message to our students, parents, and community members is in response to emails that several schools in RICHLAND COUNTY have received. The proper authorities are looking into this email and those schools are still in session today. Safety is our number one priority in Ashland City Schools, and we will remain vigilant in our efforts as always to keep everyone safe everyday. We hope everyone has an excellent day, and Go Arrows!”

Press releases about the hoax:

NEWS RELEASE 12-10-23 5:35 PM

School Swatting Hoax

Sheriff Randy Thorp

Licking County Sheriff’s Office

Multiple school districts in Licking County and multiple districts in the state of Ohio have received an email today with a bomb threat. These threats are similar in content and language to threats that occurred in recent days in California and Texas. These incidents were deemed to be not credible as a “swatting hoax”.

The Ohio Homeland Security Statewide Terrorism Analysis & Crime Center believe the Ohio threats to also be a case of intended swatting. While the Licking County Sheriff’s Office concurs with this analysis, our office and School Resource Officers will remain vigilant to any unusual activity relevant to our schools.

Sheriff Randy Thorp

Licking County Ohio

Message From North Olmsted City Schools Superintendent

NOCS Families,

Earlier today the district received a bomb threat via email claiming to be from a foreign terrorist group. This email was very general in nature and was sent to many other districts both near and far. This threat has been deemed not credible. We are currently working with the North Olmsted Police Department and safety officials. The Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force as well as the FBI are currently tracking several of these “swatting” incidents across Ohio. An identical situation occurred earlier this week in Texas.

Safety is the top priority for our district every day. We take all threats seriously and always work with the North Olmsted Police Department as well as other safety officials to help determine if a threat is credible. As a precaution, we will have extra police presence available at all of our schools tomorrow. We will also do a full safety sweep of all of our school buildings prior to school starting tomorrow.

We want to remind our families to always report safety tips and concerns to the district. If you see or hear something, please say something. The district has a safety tip line and also a form on the district website. Full information on how to report a safety concern can be found at the link below.

The district will continue to communicate any new information that becomes available.

Thank you,

David Brand

Superintendent

North Olmsted City Schools

Parma City School District

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are reaching out to address a concerning email that has been circulating among many Ohio school districts, including ours. This email claims to be from a Russian terrorist organization, threatening violence with explosive devices at schools. Similar messages were received by school districts across Texas on Friday and law enforcement authorities deemed them to be not credible.

Please be assured that, upon receiving this message, we initiated and maintained close contact with local and federal law enforcement agencies to seek their guidance. Based on the similar language of emails being sent to hundreds of schools nationwide, the Ohio Homeland Security (OHS)/Terrorism Analysis Unit (TAU) and the Statewide Terrorism Analysis & Crime Center (STACC) assess these emails to be swatting and/or hoax emails and that the threat is not credible. However, we take all such threats extremely seriously, and as a precaution, our Safety and Security Team and local police inspected all of our schools this afternoon, finding nothing of concern. Accordingly, we will have school tomorrow and all functions will proceed as regularly scheduled.

Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide any necessary updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, we urge everyone to report any unusual or suspicious activity by calling or texting 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764). We understand that incidents like this can be distressing. Please know that our counselors are available to support any students who may need assistance or reassurance. Thank you for your cooperation and support in ensuring the safety of our school community.