‘Hoax threats,’ ‘swattings’ continue to rise, joining real threats as disturbing trend for Chicago-area students – Chicago Tribune/MSN

The FBI’s Chicago office received about 84 reports of “incidents,” meaning reports of some type of school-centric threat, whether founded or unfounded, between October 2021 and September 2022, said FBI spokesperson Siobhan Johnson. Between January 2023 and March 3, they have received approximately 10 incident reports per month, Johnson said. For students, parents, and school staff the situations generate a “high degree of anxiety and ambiguity to what already exists” said one school security expert, referring to the already-looming awareness of mass school shootings.