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Hatboro‑Horsham superintendent says swatting call at high school was unfounded; police cleared building
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Eveslage said a threat call to Hatboro‑Horsham High School this morning matched a regional pattern of swatting hoaxes; Horsham Police cleared the building as not credible after a lockout and search. The district will review family‑notification procedures.
The Hatboro‑Horsham School District reported an early‑morning threat call to Hatboro‑Horsham High School on May 4, prompting administrators to put the building in a lockout and notify law enforcement.
"The call was indeed very unsettling. It was threatening and it contained all of the characteristics that we were warned about," Superintendent Dr. Eveslage said, describing preemptive notices from the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety and the district’s immediate response.
Dr. Eveslage told the board that Director of Safety and Security Rick Kerrigan immediately informed district administrators and building principals after a regional bulletin warned that several area schools had received similar calls with matching voice characteristics and originating area codes. Principal Angela Wayland addressed students and staff over the loudspeaker during the lockout, the superintendent said.
Horsham Police investigated the building, checked halls, the parking lot and exterior, and "deemed the threat was unfounded and not credible and there was no safety concern," Dr. Eveslage said. Law enforcement cleared the school to resume normal activities.
District staff posted updates on social media and emailed families before and after the all‑clear. Dr. Eveslage acknowledged some families asked why the district did not send a text message and said the district erred on the side of the information available at the time while expressing willingness to change communications protocols: "If it would have made families more comfortable to receive a text, then we should have sent the text." He said the district will consider adding text messages to its communication options going forward.
The superintendent also said the district will debrief the incident and cooperate with Horsham Police and, if necessary, federal investigators. "We'll take all steps necessary to cooperate with law enforcement and or the FBI to bring them to justice," he said.
The board did not take formal action during the work session. The district encouraged parents with specific concerns to contact building administrators directly and said it will share any follow‑up procedures after the debrief.
