Tuscaloosa County School System on ‘heightened awareness’ following news of hoax threat

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The Tuscaloosa County School System has been put on “heightened awareness” following news of threats directed at different schools nationwide.

On Thursday, the school system put out a statement about how police had been made aware of an online group with a history of making “swatting” calls, where law enforcement is erroneously called to different homes and businesses as a hoax.

Specifically, the school system claimed that no local schools had been named in the threat, but that they were taking all precautions necessary to protect both students and faculty alike.

“Whenever we receive information about a potential safety concern that could impact our schools, even if we have limited details, we take that concern seriously,” a statement from the school system read. “The safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff is our highest priority.”

As part of its heightened awareness plan, the school system takes extra steps to check hallways in different schools, observe entry points, as well as watch all arrivals and dismissals.

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