This week, two Nixa elementary schools became the targets of bomb threats amid growing concerns about school safety in Missouri and across the United States.
The unfounded threats, which Nixa police said were made online, prompted the evacuation of High Pointe Elementary School Wednesday afternoon and Espy Elementary School Thursday afternoon.
On both days, Nixa Public Schools sent out a series of alerts, first to parents in High Pointe and Espy, then to the rest of the community and the media.
On both afternoons, students, faculty and staff were safely evacuated to nearby areas. Parents were then reunited with their students. High Pointe parents were reunited at Summit Intermediate and Espy Elementary parents were reunited in the parking lot of Mercy Pediatric Clinic in Nixa.
In regards to Wednesday’s threat, Nixa Public Schools’ counterterrorism officer worked with the Missouri Intelligence Analysis Center to track down the IP address used to send the threat to an address in Kansas City. Officers made contact with a man at that address and determined he had no ties to the Nixa area. It appears the man was the victim of IP spoofing and is no longer a person of interest, according to a press release issued by Nixa Public Schools. IP spoofing is a common technique used by hackers to gain unauthorized access to computers.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education sent an update Sept. 17 to echo concerns raised by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Courage2Report — a platform that monitors security threats and concerns — about an increase in school safety reports since the Sept. 4 mass shooting in Georgia.
There are widespread threats of school shootings circulating in the United States.
Several districts, including Springfield, Republic and Ozark, have sent messages encouraging families to report threats promptly and not to report or share threats on social media.
In an interview after the Springfield message was sent, Stephen Hall, communications director, said every report is taken seriously and investigated.
“When we get a tip, when the police arrive, we can act immediately,” Hall said Sept. 12. “If that means we send an officer out in the middle of the night, that’s what we do.”
On September 15, Ozark Junior High School Principal Amanda Sooter sent a message to parents regarding concerns about school safety.
“Throughout the week, we received several calls and reports of rumors circulating. We diligently investigated each one and found no evidence of threats or firearms present at the school,” she wrote. “Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
She noted that there were “a lot of rumors circulating among students.”
More: Amid national surge in threats against schools, SPS reminds public how to report concerns
Sooter wrote: “Please know that if there were any credible threats to our students or the school, our immediate response would be to initiate a lockdown and communicate with you as quickly as possible.”
She and other school officials are using the increased awareness as a teachable moment.
“If you have a safety concern or are notified of a potential threat, please use our tip line on our website – www.ozarktigers.org/tip-line – or on our app,” she wrote. “We take every report seriously and investigate each one. Thank you for your continued partnership and trust in the safety of our school.”
At High Pointe Elementary School, Nixa police reported Wednesday afternoon that a full campus inspection had been conducted and the all-clear had been given.
“The threat was determined to have originated online. We are working with multiple area agencies to obtain more information. A similar threat occurred at a school in Stoddard County,” Nixa police wrote in a Facebook update.
“The threat is taken seriously and we continue to work with Nixa Public Schools and other law enforcement agencies to investigate.”
This article was originally published on the Springfield News-Leader: Nixa receives two bomb threats amid national rise in school safety concerns
