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

Maine State Police and other law enforcement officers responded to a reported “clap” call to Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Tuesday morning. 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.

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.”

This story will be updated.

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