Schools have been hit with fake school shooting threats, and it is posing a risk to the mental health and well-being of students. School shootings are a very real threat in the US, and it has fueled a heated conversation on gun laws and control. However, the most important thing that should be on everyone’s minds is the well-being of children and youth.
This includes direct victims of school shootings, as well as children who are afraid to go to school because they fear the same thing may happen at their school. Parents are seen buying bulletproof backpacks for their children and going over what they should do if there is a shooter in the school, but it may be making the fear worse.
According to USA Today and Flipboard, what is also making it worse is the fake shooting threats that are coming to schools in the US. Schools are not only being hit with fake shooting reports, but they are also receiving fake bomb threats.
Schools have just started across the country, but in one week alone, there were 30 hoax threats about a school shooting or other acts of violence. They have become so serious that even the FBI is looking at whether these threats were connected. However, a bigger concern may be the impact that it is having on youth.
When there is a fake school shooting threat, all schools in the area go into immediate lockdown. They have to follow protocol to ensure their students are safe, and every threat is taken seriously until proven otherwise. When it turns out to be fake, the students have gone through this incredibly stressful event for no reason, putting more stress on them.
Students have to go through the lockdown procedures, and parents are stating that their children are coming home afraid. This may be particularly true for children who are old enough to understand what a school shooting and a lockdown are. Despite the threat not being real, in the moment, it is real for them, and they go through all the fear and anxiety that anyone would.
These calls are coming through in various states, and Texas was one of the latest ones. The police had received a call that there were two shooters in a local high school and that 10 students had been shot. When the police showed up and searched every room, they found that this was a fake call. Not only is this using up police resources, but it is terrifying children, teachers, and parents.