Students at the Belmont Middle and High School briefly sheltered in place Wednesday after the Belmont Police Department received a “swatting” call, claiming shots were fired inside the school, according to Superintendent Jill Geiser.
In an email to middle and high school families, Geiser said the police were dispatched to BMHS at about 11:30 a.m. after receiving a “threatening” phone call. In an alert sent to families, the district said that out of an “abundance of caution,” the school was moving into a brief shelter in place to allow for police to check the building. The building was cleared and the hold was lifted just before noon, Geiser said.
There was no evidence of shots inside BMHS, said interim Police Chief Mark Hurley.
Belmont police will remain on school grounds for the remainder of the day.
“Swatting” involves placing false emergency calls to law enforcement or making false social media posts, with the goal of provoking a significant emergency response, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“As always, the safety of staff and students in our schools is of the utmost importance and rely on our safety protocols when these situations arise,” Geiser said. “Thank you for the rapid response from our SRO and the Belmont Police Department. We are grateful to the staff and students for their handling of these stressful situations.”
The Belmont Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police are actively investigating, Hurley said.