MELROSE — The day after three young students and three staff members were killed at a school in Nashville, local police reported that a call was received claiming a tragedy had already happened at Melrose High School.
Officials determined that the Tuesday threat was not credible and appeared to be a pattern in a larger swatting hoax across the Commonwealth. Malden Catholic was also among other targets reported by authorities.
Melrose Supt. of Schools Dr. Julie Kukenberger very quickly sent out a message to the community, stating in part, “Our School Resource Officers are on site and responded in collaboration with the Melrose Police Department and High School Administration to swiftly determine that the threat was not credible and that our students and staff are safe.
“Additionally, the Melrose Police Department reported the call to the Commonwealth Fusion Center (CFC) and the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) per protocol. In conversation with Melrose Police Department Chief (Kevin) Faller, he stated, ‘The Melrose Police Department takes these threats very seriously. Once we received the threat we responded in collaboration with the school department to ensure the safety of our students and staff. We will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source while providing additional police presence on the secondary campus throughout the day.’”
The hoax calls came one day after an actual school shooting at the Covenant School, a private Christian School in Nashville, Tennessee. Three students and three adults were killed in the tragedy. The 28-year-old shooter was also killed by police.
The hoax calls and the public attention on school safety is once again producing anxiety for parents.
