OFFICE OF SCHOOL SAFETY /WSCCA.

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Guidance If Schools Receive a Bomb Threat

Some schools across our nation, and in Wisconsin, have recently received bomb threats. In response to these concerns, we are sharing information to empower school and law enforcement teams to make decisions if they receive a threat. Threats received by schools should initially be treated as credible. Schools should work with their law enforcement partners to determine the immediate safety response necessary to keep everyone safe. Using a multidisciplinary team approach, including the use of a school-based threat assessment team, can provide various perspectives, knowledge and approaches when working to accurately understand the level of threat posed and the needed response. 

Often, decisions about response actions to keep the school community safe need to be made with limited information yet with consideration about the potential trauma that can be caused to the students, staff, and community. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has put together two helpful resources to help schools, and their law enforcement and community partners, create tailored approaches to addressing anonymous threats of violence, including those received on social media. 

• Bomb Threat Checklist. This resource provides instructions on how to respond to a bomb threat and a comprehensive list of information that will assist law enforcement in a bomb threat investigation. 

• Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools. The toolkit outlines steps school leaders can take to assess and respond to anonymous threats, better prepare for and prevent future threats, and work in coordination with law enforcement and other local partners when threats arise. Specific to immediate action steps to take when a threat is first received, Section 4.0 (page 15) provides useful guidance for schools, including how to communicate with the school community. Worksheet 2 (Gathering Information When You Receive a Threat: Where to Start?) may provide a useful tool for investigating and responding to the anonymous threat.   

While lockdowns and evacuations might be a necessary response to some safety situations, there is the potential for these actions to produce anxiety, stress, and trauma responses in staff and students. If your school experiences a lockdown or evacuation because of a threat, reaffirming a sense of emotional and physical safety at school is a critical next step as you work towards recovery.  Consider debriefing with students in a structured, supportive setting to reaffirm their sense of physical and psychological safety. These discussions give opportunities to answer students’ questions, clear up misinformation, discuss how school leaders work to keep them safe, learn about what makes students feel protected and empower students to think about ways they can be involved in making safety decisions. In addition to universal opportunities for group discussion, it is recommended that students know who they can go to if they need additional support and coping strategies.    

The following resources provide additional guidance in these efforts:   

• Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers. This resource from National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) guides caregivers (parents and school staff) as they reaffirm a sense of safety and wellbeing for youth.  

• Returning to School After a Crisis. This resource from the National Center for School Safety (NCSS) is for school staff to help students cope with the aftermath of traumatic events. It provides guidance and prompts for our conversations with youth (page 9) and includes strategies to manage student distress following a crisis as well as a resource handout (pages 10-12).  

• Swatting Emergency Management Procedures. This resource includes mitigation strategies and reporting procedures provided by the New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit, the Intelligence and Analysis Threat Unit at the Regional Operations Intelligence Center, the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, and the FBI.  

SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT (SUSO) staff will continue to work closely to address any threats to school safety and will deliver tips to school districts and law enforcement promptly. If your school community receives a bomb threat, we encourage you to report the threat to SUSO, so our staff can continue to monitor these threats and effectively support impacted schools and districts. In addition, OSS is here to support your response and recovery needs if you are impacted by a threat or other crisis event. Contact us at schoolsafety@doj.state.wi.us or 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 (1-800-697-8761).  

Thank you for your careful work to ensure safe schools in Wisconsin.  

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