As school threats grow more tech savvy, so do police

CEDAR RAPIDS — After a threat was made late last month on social media targeting the Cedar Rapids Community School District, law enforcement officials began combing the internet trying to find the original source and trace it back to the person who made it.

In Des Moines, investigators with the Iowa Governor’s School Safety Bureau received tips about the threat through Safe and Sound Iowa, an anonymous reporting system free to K-12 schools across the state that can be accessed by phone, text or online.

State investigators provided technical assistance to the Cedar Rapids Police Department to help determine if the threat was valid or a hoax, said Don Schnitker, bureau chief and special agent In charge with the School Safety Bureau.

As a result of the threat initially reported Sept. 30 to Cedar Rapids police, the school district canceled classes the following Monday — Oct. 2 — impacting almost 16,000 students and their families. By the end of the week, police announced an arrest in the case: a 14-year-old from Cedar Rapids, who was not identified, was charged with intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

It can be scary for a student to tell a teacher or call 911 to report serious misbehavior going on in their school, Schnitker said. Safe and Sound Iowa gives them another choice without fear of repercussions for “snitching on someone,” he said.

“Kids want to remain anonymous,” Schnitker said.

The program had a “soft launch” in March 2022, but marketing materials are on their way to schools so more students are aware of Safe + Sound Iowa, Schnitker said.

Since the first day of school in August, the department has received 130 tips — about 10 a week — from across the state. Some of these are students concerned about the mental health of their friends or about bullying, he said.

“Iowa is very safe. There’s a lot of other states that report many more school threats,” Schnitker said.

Indeed, there is an overwhelming number of school threats being reported across the country, said Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services, a national school safety consulting firm based in Cleveland.

In some cases, these threats are made by current or former students. But increasingly, the threats are known as “swatting” — the criminal act of making a false report to law enforcement agencies with the goal of drawing out a large law enforcement response and creating chaos and fear.

In May, the FBI formed a national online database to facilitate information sharing between hundreds of police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country to track swatting incidents.

“The vast majority of threats turn out not to be credible. But every threat has to be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly,” Trump said.

The Cedar Rapids threat does not appear to have been a “swatting” incident. But regardless, schools need to have protocols in place if a threat is made.

“Our greatest concern is we often see schools reacting then assessing,” Trump said. “A phrase you hear a lot is ‘We’re doing it out of an abundance of caution.’ Many will close school for the day, and that’s not the best practice.“

Schools instead should first assess the threat to determine if there is imminent danger, he said. From there, they should continue “under heightened security” while the investigation is ongoing. “Otherwise, you’re going to be closing schools a lot,” Trump said.

Western Dubuque High School in Epworth was placed on lockdown Oct. 5, following a threat made by an anonymous caller that — once investigated — was found to have come from outside the United States. Law enforcement officials determined there was no immediate threat to the high school.

In March, Northwest Junior High School in Coralville was evacuated twice because of bomb threats, which came as emails sent to several teachers and staff at the school. No bombs were found and there didn’t appear to be an imminent threat.

In May, at least 30 Iowa schools received phone calls warning of school shootings. The calls quickly were determined by the state public safety department to be fake.

Swatting is disruptive to learning and creates increased stress and anxiety for kids, families and educators, Trump said. It also draws an enormous amount of law enforcement resources to investigate and provide heightened security to schools.

The ability to instill fear is “a powerful thing,” he said. “There’s a sense of power and control threat makers have by being able to disrupt schools, law enforcement and entire communities.”

Trump said he’s starting to see prosecutors go after restitution payments for the heightened police expenses and security costs as part of the consequences for making a threat against schools.

An increasing number of threats to schools originate on social media. Perpetrators can use social media to find names of students attending schools to list in the threat, according to the Social Media Victims Law Center.

Law enforcement officials advise community members not to re-share posts threatening schools on their social media pages, as this can create confusion, chaos and fear and make it harder for law enforcement officials to trace the original message. Instead, threats should be reported to law enforcement officials.

Trump said that while threat makers are getting “more skilled” at masking their identities, law enforcement officials also are becoming more adept at tracking digital footprints.

'Teachable moments’

Ragen Jacobs — like many other parents in the Cedar Rapids district --- kept her two children home from Kennedy High School on Oct. 3, the day classes resumed after the threat was made. Jacobs said she watched a video on social media that allegedly was the source of the original threat.

“It was scary to listen to. You just don’t know what to believe or not believe. You can’t live in fear, but you also can’t put your children in danger,” Jacobs said. “I feel horrible for this child who felt the need to go and do something like this. My heart breaks for them.”

William Cannon, who has a son at Harding Middle School, said the threat was “upsetting.” He also kept his son, who was “pretty shaken up,” home from school that Tuesday. He said it was an “unsettling conversation I never thought I’d have” with his son.

These conversations, however, are vital in helping children feel it’s OK to report suspicious activity and understand the impact of what is posted on social media. When a threat is made, Trump said, families should use it as a “teachable moment” and talk about the serious consequences of those actions.

“Many young people look at making these threats as a joke or a hoax and don’t realize once you press send, you can’t put the threat back into the smartphone. There’s a ton of bricks that’s going to hit them, including suspension or expulsion and felony prosecution,” Trump said.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com