We want to take a moment to address an important safety concern that has been affecting schools both regionally and nationally. We have become aware of a disturbing trend called "swatting," which involves falsely reporting an emergency situation to emergency services, such as a bomb threat or an active shooter, with the intention of deceiving law enforcement into responding to the reported location.

As your trusted educational leaders, we want to assure you that our top priority is the safety of our students and staff. In the event of any reported threat at our schools, we will respond immediately and follow established safety procedures to determine the threat's credibility.

Unfortunately, earlier today, some of our students reported a threatening message that was anonymously shared via Snapchat, referring to a school shooting at "AHS." We want to clarify that this hoax is in reference to Alamogordo High School in New Mexico, not Anacortes High School.

We ask that you speak with your children about the seriousness of hoaxes like these and how they can cause trauma to their peers, as well as potentially prevent our community's first responders from responding to real emergencies. We encourage our students and school community to report anything that could constitute a threat to school safety.

Please know that the Anacortes Police Department knows this threat and will take appropriate action. Anacortes High School will continue to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our students and staff by following our safety protocols. We also recognize that threats like this can create trauma for our students, and we have counselors prepared to provide support. 

If you have any questions or concerns about our district's safety procedures or Anacortes High School's safety protocols, please do not hesitate to contact Superintendent Dr. Justin Irish at jirish@asd103.org or Principal Dr. Erin Duez at eduez@asd103.org.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work to keep our schools and community safe.