Swatting calls create scare at Kansas high schools

MHS among many receiving fake school shooting reports

 

From MHS administration communications

 

A fake call to the Riley County Police Department on Wednesday morning attempted to report a school shooting at Manhattan High that did not happen. 

According to an emailed announcement from principal Michael Dorst and USD 383 communications officer Michele Jones, at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the RCPD administrative phone line received a phone call reporting “shots fired in math room 36 at MHS.” That room number doesn’t exist at either MHS campus, and School Resource Officers and administrators checked rooms and verified the information was false and there was not an incident in any MHS classrooms. 

The email stated that similar phone calls were made to police departments across the state concerning their local high schools, including Lawrence, Junction City, Andover, Topeka, El Dorado and Wichita. All of these calls were from the same phone number.

USD 383 and RCPD reported these details through social media and email to notify the community that MHS students were not in danger. Dorst and freshman principal Dave Holloway also made an announcement to all West campus and East campus students explaining the situation directly to students, as well.