Officials said the Woodland Hills School District has transitioned to remote learning for the day following a series of so-called 'swatting' calls. Swatting is an illegal prank in which a distress call is made to emergency services with the intention of drawing a large police response to an address. In response to the early morning hoax calls, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Castagna informed families and staff that the district would operate under a virtual instruction model for safety, as reported by CBS News.
According to a report by WPXI, this decision was taken to ensure the well-being of the students and staff. Evening activities and practices are expected to proceed as scheduled. Meanwhile, an increased police presence was announced the previous day due to an incredible threat made on social media.
The calls began just after 5 a.m., setting off a chain of events culminating in this precautionary measure. Details about the investigations or any suspects have not been released, and the motivations behind the swatting and social media threats remain unclear.
