Connecticut State Police were on scene Wednesday at Vinal Regional Vocational Tech in Middletown for reports of a school shooting.
Students and staff went into lockdown and after an investigation, it was determined it was a hoax.
This is the latest school to experience a false alarm. Just last month, officials say about 17 other districts were impacted by misleading calls, including in Stamford.
“But still it caused a lot of fear and anxiety for parents and teachers and students,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said.
The Connecticut State Department of Education said these incidents interrupt learning and cause significant anxiety for students, staff and their families.
“When educators are anxious, when students are anxious, they are not able to teach and are not able to learn effectively,” CSDE Marketing Director Eric Scoville said.
The stress and anxiety also reach the dozens of law enforcement officials that arrive on scene.
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“I think anything we deal with and face on a daily basis, it does take a toll, our stress level is constantly high, we are always hyper vigilant and that starts to wear on the body,” Connecticut State Police Sgt. Christine Jeltema said.
Both police and education officials say mental health resources are immediately provided for anyone impacted by a swatting call.
Meanwhile, Jeltema said they take every 911 call seriously and are in constant communication with the Department of Education.
“We determine if schools are safe, and we want to make sure our students are safe. So, every call we get, we take them extremely seriously and we go in as if it’s the real thing,” Jeltema said.
In Stamford, city officials are taking action after Stamford High School received a threat. The city has requested $400,000 from Stamford’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“To make infrastructure investments at our school to make technology improvements, including car readers and key fobs, will prevent leaving doors unlocked and unmanned,” Simmons said.
City officials hope the funding will be approved in the next few months.
