On a seemingly ordinary Monday, school districts across the state of Missouri were rocked by an alarming announcement. Around 1 p.m. on March 27, Liberty administrators came over the intercom alerting that there was an apparent active shooter threat at Wright City High School. 

The building was immediately put on soft lockdown for the remainder of the school day. Under soft lockdown protocols, students outside for PE or recess are ushered inside, but classes continue as normal. Staff and students are allowed to move about the building, while parents are permitted to pick up their children with proper identification. In an email sent to WSD families, the district describes how a soft lockdown “provides a heightened level of awareness for our staff, an increased level of security for our schools, and the flexibility to quickly respond if the situation changes.” 

Though WSD buildings remained on soft lockdown, it was determined that the threat was a hoax just minutes after the initial announcement. Sadly, Wright City High School wasn’t alone, with a number of other schools across the state also reporting similar incidents.

“Missouri State Highway Patrol notified us that they were aware of swatting incidents today at multiple schools in Missouri,” the district wrote. “Wentzville police also notified us that they did receive a call regarding our district and immediately deemed it to not be credible, as it was one of the many area hoax threats.”

False threats were also reported at Parkway School District and Rosati-Kain High School, as well as schools in Springfield and Kansas City. According to KMOV, a police source claims that all calls appeared to come from the same phone number. 

The swatting incidents caused considerable anxiety, with hundreds of officers spotted across the St. Charles and Warren County areas in response to the threat at Wright City High School. Thankfully, nobody was harmed and no active threat was identified. 

These incidents served as a stark reminder of the importance of school safety. The district praised the efforts of all involved, saying, “Thank you to our buildings and staff for taking swift action in entering a soft lockdown this afternoon as well as local PD for keeping us updated every step of the way.”