MASSILLON, Ohio — Students and staff at Massillon Washington High School were forced to evacuate the building shortly before noon Tuesday after officials "received word of a threat" that has now been deemed a hoax.
School officials say the situation started when their main office staff received two separate bomb threats in back-to-back calls around 11:15 a.m. The district shared several updates on its Facebook page, confirming local police as well as the Stark County Sheriff's Office were assisting with evacuation efforts.
Carter Price-Campbell, a junior at the school, said students didn't know what was going on as they were evacuated to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium outside.
"We thought it was a fire drill-type situation," he said. "Just coming out the school, cop cars keep showing up, like, 'What’s going on? Like, what’s happening? Is there a bomb, or is there gun, drugs get found?' And then we finally make it to the stadium, where we’re all sitting not knowing what’s happening. No one's telling us anything."
Carter called his mom, Cindy Campbell, during the uncertainty. She told him to follow the directions of school leaders and law enforcement.
"It's scary," she told 3 News. "As a parent, we want to go rescue our kids and we’re not able to do that."
Despite the nature of the events, parents were not permitted to come pick up their children, with car traffic to the school being strictly prohibited. K-9 officers from Massillon and Canton police along with the sheriff's office began sweeping the building, and just before 1:30 p.m., Massillon City Schools stated the threats were likely a case of "swatting" and the building had been cleared by first responders.
According to the district, an unidentified Massillon student is in custody in connection with the case. It is unknown if they will face charges, but administrators say discipline "will be carried out appropriately."
"It is extremely shameful that situations like this occur and distract us from why we are all actually here as students and staff," Superintendent Paul J. Salvino said in a statement. "We appreciate the immediate response and leadership of our local law enforcement. Their leadership and action was invaluable. Together, these first responders and the administration quickly assessed the threat and executed the high school evacuation and implemented search procedures necessary to keep students and staff safe."
As this new school year begins, Ken Trump of National School Safety and Security Services wants schools to know that these type of swatting calls are getting more advanced by the day, and usually don't come from local sources like what apparently happened in Massillon.
"Swatting threats frequently come in digital forms, robo-type calls, if you listen closely and train your office staff to hear that," he explained. "They frequently come from across state and even international borders, and they oftentimes hit multiple schools within a district, multiple school districts within a state, and sometimes across two or three states in one single day."
Salvino confirmed all school activities will continue as scheduled this evening, with classes set to resume Wednesday morning.