Multiple swatting incidents took place in the region today, including at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Swatting is when a false report of a violent act or threat of violence is made to the police, which results in a strong police response to a location. The threat to Plymouth Whitemarsh High School was deemed not credible.

In response to today’s incident, Superintendent Dr. Michael L. Christian sent a note to the school’s families to inform them of what had occurred and that police were investigating.

The note sent by the superintendent is below:

We are writing to inform you that schools throughout the suburban Philadelphia area have been victims of “swatting” attempts this morning. We were notified by Montgomery County safety officials about these hoax calls, in which the caller may report a false emergency threatening harm to a school to elicit an emergency response. Several other schools received these calls early this morning; therefore county and local law enforcement officials communicated to all school districts that they may also receive a call, and that it is not credible.

Moments ago, Plymouth Whitemarsh High School received such a call threatening harm to the school. The call came from a California area code and was similar to what other school districts have reported. We have been in communication with Whitemarsh Township Police Department and county officials – who again, have reiterated there is no credible threat. Students are having a normal school day.

These types of incidents are always unsettling, and we have asked Whitemarsh Township Police to have a visible presence throughout the district today as a precaution. There is an active investigation taking place to determine who perpetrated this hoax.

As always we remind you to stay vigilant and report anything that may seem out of the ordinary at PW and CES. You can report anytime anonymously through the Safe2Say hotline: 1-844-SAF2SAY, or you can go to safe2saypa.org.