KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Multiple Kansas schools responded to hoax calls threatening shootings Wednesday morning.
The Topeka Police Department said it received a hoax call around 8:15 a.m. of an active shooter at Highland Park High School.
Officers and other local law enforcement responded and cleared the school and surrounding area by 9 a.m., but discovered no threats to the school, students or staff. The police department said it’s looking into the false call and was made aware of similar calls in the region.
In a message to staff and families, Highland Park High School said officials are cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation. The school ended its lockdown and secure campus procedures, but additional school staff and law enforcement will remain at Highland Park and other schools in the district.
Other safety measures are also in place, such as locking front doors and using additional steps before allowing staff to enter.
“We know this is a very frightening ordeal for everyone and any parent that would like to pick up their student today will have an excused absence,” the school said.
Administrators and the superintendent stayed at Highland Park’s campus and visited every classroom to make sure students were OK. The mental help team will also be on campus to meet with students.
In Lawrence, police said they responded just before 8:30 a.m. to a separate hoax call about an active shooter at Free State High School. A school resource officer at the campus identified the call as a swatting incident, but the department involved all available officers in the area to handle the incident.
“We at the Lawrence Police Department take this type of threat very seriously and are actively investigating, along with various law enforcement partners, to understand the scope of this crime,” said Laura McCabe, a spokeswoman with the department.
Riley County police also received a hoax call around 8:30 a.m. of an active shooter at Manhattan High School West, but a school resource officer and sergeant on duty determined in about a minute that the school posed no threat because the room number the caller mentioned did not exist. Police worked with the school to send a message to the community and students letting them know there was no threat.
The department said it was in contact with other area law enforcement agencies who had received similar hoax calls about shooters, but they still haven’t determined what happened or the motivation for the calls.
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