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Police: Schools in numerous states dealing with hoax threat calls

Last year, education experts said false threats of school violence are happening more and more across the country.
Kids in school wearing backpacks.
Posted at 3:17 PM, Feb 23, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-23 15:17:06-05

Numerous schools in Colorado and Idaho were put on lockdown Wednesday after someone reported threats, which police believe were part of a hoax.

Boulder Police Chief Maris Harold told reporters Wednesday that dispatchers received a call in the morning from a male who said he was going to Boulder High School when the sound of gunshots could be heard in the background.

Boulder Police cleared the school, but there were no confirmed injuries.

Threat calls were also made to schools in Colorado, including in Aspen, Alamosa, Brighton and Canon City. In all the cases, the schools were cleared of any threat.

Fake threats of imminent school violence are getting more common

Fake threats of imminent school violence are getting more common

Education experts say false threats of school violence are happening more and more across the country.

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In Idaho, the Caldwell Police Department said there were a number of "non-legitimate" threats made at several schools Wednesday morning. Officers continue to respond, but they believe the threats are part of a wide-reaching hoax.

"In the past week, similar instances involving hoax calls into schools have occurred in Oregon, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada," the Caldwell Police Department said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department said the FBI is now helping investigate the source of the calls.