Several schools in Maine were closed Tuesday morning after receiving threatening calls

Maine State Police and other law enforcement officers responded to Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Tuesday morning for a reported “swatting” call. According to the police, there was no actual danger at the school. AM Sheehan/Advertising Democrat

PARIS – Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School was one of several schools in Maine that fell victim to “swatting” calls Tuesday morning, according to school officials and Maine State Police.

At 10:05 a.m., the district was notified of an online threat related to the Oxford Hills school and the building was immediately placed on lockdown. According to Superintendent Heather Manchester, the threat was an incident of “swatting,” where someone falsely reports a threat to get police to respond to a particular location.

The swatting calls at several schools across the state all came from the same IP address, Manchester said, an address used for similar threatening calls from abroad. With each telephone threat, the caller used the same narrative.

After the threat was received in Oxford Hills, Police were stationed at every door at the high school and all vehicle entrances were locked as fire and rescue personnel were asked to station themselves behind the Department of Health and Human Services building on nearby Alpine Street.

Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety, confirmed that the swatting incidents originated from various lines throughout Maine, and state police are now working with other law enforcement agencies across the state to confirm each swatting incident was a “swatting” threat.

According to Moss “There is currently no known risk to students, staff or the public. The Department of Public Safety encourages law enforcement and school administrators to continue to exercise due diligence when considering new potential threats.”

In Lewiston, police surrounded the building and other city schools as a precaution after a threat was received at the high school, said Superintendent Jake Langlais.

“We are aware of six different communities that have received notice at this time,” he said.

Calls have been confirmed in Oxford Hills, Lewiston, South Portland, Portland, Scarborough, Bangor and North Berwick.

Once it was clear there was no actual danger, Lewiston schools remained open Tuesday and staff and police will be vigilant throughout the school day, Langlais said.

Nearly an hour after the threat was received at the Oxford Hills school, the city of South Portland reported on its social media that the high school and community center were on lockdown due to an incident at South Portland High School.

“There is currently no evidence of an actual threat. However, police have recently been on scene and this is an ACTIVE investigation,” the city wrote. “As a precautionary measure, all schools in South Portland are in secure mode and no one is allowed in or out during the investigation.”

The city asked community members to avoid the area.

The superintendent of MSAD 60 in York County said the Veterans Crisis Line received a call about a potential active shooter outside Noble High School in North Berwick.

“At this point, all information indicates that this is a hoax, as these calls have been recorded throughout the morning across the country,” Audra Beauvais wrote in a letter to the community shared on Facebook. “All students and staff are currently safe in lockdown.”

She asked people not to come to campus.

“Bangor Police responded to a 'swatting' call at a local school,” the department wrote on X at 10:30 a.m. “There is no emergency and all students and staff are safe. We will make an official release as soon as more information becomes available.”

This story will be updated.

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