Update from Lyon County School District on Wednesday, May 13:
Wednesday afternoon, several LCSD schools again received anonymous threats identical to those reported yesterday. In response, several schools across the district were immediately placed into lock-out status while local law enforcement agencies responded and actively investigated the situation and secured the campuses.
At the time these threats were received, several schools had already dismissed students for the day. Schools that still had students on campus were placed into lock-out status. As a precautionary measure, campuses were secured with the assistance of law enforcement personnel to help ensure the safety of all students and staff. At dismissal time, law enforcement and school administration coordinated to ensure the safe release and transportation of students, allowing buses to depart. Throughout the incident, all students and staff remained safe.
Swatting is a serious criminal offense that involves making false threats or reports to trigger a large emergency law enforcement response. These actions divert critical emergency resources away from real emergencies, disrupt schools and communities, and can create significant fear, anxiety, and potential danger for students, staff, families, and first responders. Individuals responsible for swatting incidents may face severe criminal penalties, including felony charges, fines, and imprisonment. Law enforcement agencies take these threats extremely seriously and investigate them aggressively to hold those responsible accountable.
Original story, Tuesday, May 12
By Robert Perea
All schools in Lyon County were placed on a precautionary lockdown Tuesday morning following calls of threats received at multiple schools in the county.
In a statement issued after district-wide lockdowns had been lifted, the Lyon County School District said Silver Stage High School received a call from an anonymous person claiming they had “ARs and bombs and would be at the school within 15 minutes.”
As a precaution, Silver Stage High School and surrounding schools immediately went into lock-out status, and law enforcement was notified and responded to the school.
A short time later, a similar call was made to Dayton High School, prompting local schools to respond in the same manner. The caller then contacted Lyon County dispatch and made similar threats involving all LCSD schools as well as all schools throughout Nevada.
At that time, all LCSD schools were placed into lock-out status as a precautionary measure.
The district’s statement said this type of incident is commonly referred to as “swatting,” which involves anonymous threats intended to provoke a large emergency response and disrupt educational services.
“While these threats are often vague and lack credible details, schools and law enforcement must respond seriously and immediately to ensure student and staff safety,” the district’s statement said.
The school district’s statement said law enforcement personnel would stay at every school for the remainder of the day out of an abundance of caution.
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