East Hampton Town police spent Tuesday morning investigating anonymous email threats received overnight by multiple school districts, including Springs, Amagansett, and Wainscott, and ultimately deemed them "non credible."
"Out of an abundance of caution, the E.H.T.P.D. deployed teams of officers to each school to complete a thorough search and clear each building," the town police said in a statement Tuesday. "We have been in constant contact with school district leadership and state and county police throughout this incident. Uniformed police officers have been deployed to the schools, and we are monitoring any further intelligence."
Officers declared the Springs School safe for entry shortly after 7 a.m. Debra Winter, the district superintendent, said in a message to parents early Tuesday that the threat appeared to be "similar to those issued around the country." On Friday, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul announced "heightened monitoring" in response to an increase in false threats at schools, dubbed "swatting."
"Safety is our number-one priority," Ms. Winter said in her message, which noted that police officers will remain on campus throughout the school day. Morning activities were canceled as officers swept the building.
The incident comes on the heels of another school shooting, on March 27, at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., in which a heavily armed intruder fired 152 rounds and killed three 9-year-old children, a custodian, a substitute teacher, and the head of the school.
After town police cleared the school, Ms. Winter shared in an email to parents that "around midnight last night" she received "an email alleging that 'bombs were placed inside' and would be detonated if certain demands were not met, including payment of monetary ransom."
"We take threats of this nature very seriously," Ms. Winter continued. "We will continue to work with law enforcement to determine the source of this email with hopes the perpetrator can be determined so consequences to the fullest extent of the law may be rendered."
The Montauk School District and East Hampton School District did not receive the anonymous threat, according to their superintendents, Jack Perna and Adam Fine, respectively.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.