Multiple Wisconsin school districts report swatting calls

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Multiple Wisconsin school districts have reported receiving swatting calls Wednesday, just a day after similar threats swept through Iowa.

Several of NBC15′s sister-stations across the state have reported schools near them have reported such incidents. As of noon, there have been at least five of them, in Chippewa Falls, Rice Lake, Spooner, Superior, and Wausau. It is unknown at this time if there have been others.

In Wausau, someone called police around 9:30 a.m. and claimed multiple people had been shot in the bathroom of Wausau East High School, the city’s police department explained. The district and the police department later confirmed the call was a hoax.

About a half-hour earlier, police in Superior were told of a possible active shooter at Superior High School, according to the school district. The district noted the call came from outside the United States. The Superior Police Dept. later indicated their investigation determined there was no danger at the school.

On Tuesday, a slew of threats in Iowa led to the state’s Dept. of Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens to make a statement in which he described the calls as designed to create chaos and assured families that none of them had been deemed imminent. Our sister-station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reported districts in at least 11 cities and three more counties had received the threats.

In his statement to families, Chippewa Falls Superintendent Jeff Holmes denounced swatting calls as “highly inappropriate, dangerous, and can cause significant harm and trauma to the individuals involved.” He pointed out making such threats are illegal and can result in criminal charges.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 WMTV. All rights reserved.