7 Austin schools received 'swatting' email threats Wednesday, officials say

Students at seven Austin district schools were kept in a state of heightened security for about 25 minutes Wednesday morning while police investigated threats each campus received that were ultimately deemed fake.

Austin High School, O. Henry Middle School, Kealing Middle School, Small Middle School, Rosedale School, Hill Elementary School and Casis Elementary School went into what’s called a secure state about 10 a.m. Wednesday. During that time Austin school police investigated “emails containing threatening language,” according to the district.

A secure state means all normal activities continued inside the schools, but no one was allowed to enter or leave.

Police lifted the need for a secure setting about 10:30 a.m., according to the district.

“Officers were able to identify the source of the threatening emails and determined the incident was a swatting exercise, which is a criminal act of reporting a false crime or emergency to provoke a response from police,” Hill Elementary School Principal Jack Drummond said in an email to parents.

The Austin school district's police department is very familiar with these types of threats, district Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.

Swatting is typically deliberate and malicious, he said. In light of shootings and other such events around the country, people are more attuned to these threats, Sneed said.

“You’re talking about someone’s child,” Sneed said. “Unfortunately, it happens too often, but we refuse to be desensitized to it.”

When the district discovers a threat for a campus or school-affiliated event, it follows a specific protocol, he said. While the origin of a false call can vary, many are international, he said.

The threats can be scary to the community, but Sneed insisted it’s important people let law enforcement carry out their regular response procedures.

“Police departments throughout the country are familiar with these types of acts,” Sneed said. “The worst thing you can do is complicate it by showing up at a location.”

What is swatting?

Swatting involves falsely reporting a crime or emergency to cause a law enforcement response, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Swatting doesn’t necessarily apply to schools and can target individuals.

The estimated number of swatting incidents jumped from about 400 in 2011 to over 1,000 in 2019, according to the league.

In Texas, swatting could be punished by a Class A misdemeanor or a third-degree felony, depending on whether the person has been convicted of swatting before or if there were any injuries during the response to the false threat.

Last year, the FBI reported that its agents believed a swatting spate targeted at colleges and schools between June and November originated from foreign countries. And the issue has become a problem for schools nationwide.

In the 2022-23 school year, schools reported 446 false reports, compared with just 69 in the 2018-19 school year, according to nonprofit the Educator’s School Safety Network.

The network’s research shows spikes in swatting calls in September, October, February and March.

Austin district officials are asking anyone who sees suspicious activity to report it to 512-414-1703.