In a statement sent out by the Utah State Board of Education in coordination with the Utah Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC), local school districts have been warned “that hoax bomb threats have been occurring at schools in Utah, and in surrounding states, including Idaho and Wyoming. The threats are being communicated in email and phone calls to the schools. At this time, there have been no credible reports that these are anything beyond a hoax.”
According to SIAC, this series of hoax threats has been coming from numerous different emails with similar naming conventions, lending them to believe that the threats are related in source.
In response to the threats, security is being increased at school locations across the state, and each one is being investigated in turn. Ultimately, SIAC has called the threats “vague” and “generally unsubstantiated,” leading them to believe that they are hoaxes and scare tactics rather than earnest threats. Per the email from the Utah State Board of Education, “Please know that the Utah State Board of Education takes any threats to our schools seriously. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and if there are any developments, we will report those to you right away.
“As always, please follow your emergency plans and use your best judgment in the event of a threat. If you receive any information, please follow local policies and procedures and call the police. Please also report to SIAC at SIAC@utah.gov.”
