This week, two elementary schools in Nixa became the targets of bomb threats amid an uptick of school safety concerns across Missouri and the U.S.
The unfounded threats, which Nixa police say were made online, prompted the Wednesday afternoon evacuation of High Pointe Elementary and Thursday afternoon evacuation of Espy Elementary.
On both days, Nixa Public Schools sent out a series of alerts, first to High Pointe and Espy parents and then to the rest of the community and media outlets.
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 were reunited in the parking lot of Nixa’s Pediatric Mercy Clinic.
When it comes to Wednesday’s threat, the Nixa Public Schools Counter Terrorism Officer worked with the Missouri Information Analysis Center to track the IP address used to make the threat to an address in Kansas City. Officers made contact with a man at the address and determined he has no connection to the Nixa area. It appears the man was a victim of IP spoofing and he is no longer a person of interest, according to a news 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 safety threats and concerns — about a spike in school safety reports since the Sept. 4 mass shooting in Georgia.
There have been multiple generalized school shooting threats circulating in the U.S.
Multiple districts including Springfield, Republic and Ozark have sent messages encouraging families to report threats promptly and to not report or share threats on social media.
In an interview after Springfield sent its message, Stephen Hall, chief communication officer, said every report is taken seriously and investigated.
“When we receive a tip, when they come in, we’re able to take immediate action,” Hall said Sept. 12. “If that means we dispatch an officer in the middle of the night, that is what we do.”
On Sept. 15, Ozark Junior High School Principal Amanda Sooter sent a message to parents about concerns that had arisen about school safety.
“Throughout the week, we did receive several calls and tips relating to rumors circulating. We diligently investigated each one and found no evidence of threats or guns present at school,” she wrote. “Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
She noted there were “a lot of rumors circulating among students.”
More: Amid a national spike in school threats, SPS reminds public how to report concerns
Sooter wrote: “Please know that if there were ever 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 heightened awareness as a teachable moment.
“If you ever have a safety concern or are made aware of a possible threat, please use our tip line on our website — www.ozarktigers.org/tip-line — or on our app,” she wrote. “We take every tip seriously and look into every single one.Thank you for your continued partnership and trust in keeping our school safe.”
At High Pointe Elementary, Nixa police reported late Wednesday afternoon that a full sweep of the campus had been conducted and they gave an “all clear.”
“It has been determined that the threat was web based. We are working with multiple agencies across the region to determine more information. A similar threat came into a school in Stoddard County,” the Nixa police wrote, as part of an update on Facebook.
“The threat is being taken seriously, and we continue to work with Nixa Public Schools and other law enforcement to investigate.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Nixa gets 2 bomb threats amid national uptick in school safety worries
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