Every time a school goes into lockdown, parents, students, and teachers feel a wave of anxiety. The word “lockdown” triggers urgent texts, sirens, and fast-moving police responses. Yet in many cases, what initially seems like a credible threat turns out to be a false alarm or a hoax. The lockdown yesterday at Long Beach High School in Lido Beach, New York illustrates this tension: a phone threat sparked hours of disruption, only to end with an “all clear” and no evidence of real danger. This raises an important question: How often are school threats real, and how often are they pranks or false reports?
Understanding the Nature of School Threats
Threats against schools typically arrive in one of three ways:
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Phone calls or emails — anonymous messages claiming danger on campus.
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Social media posts — vague or direct threats that spread quickly among students.
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In-person reports — tips, overheard conversations, or suspicious activity relayed to staff.
In each scenario, officials have little time to assess credibility. Because student safety is paramount, districts err on the side of caution and often initiate lockdowns immediately, even if evidence later shows there was no actual threat.
National Trends in False Alarms
According to the Educator’s School Safety Network, there are thousands of school threats reported in the United States every year, and a significant percentage prove to be non-credible. While reliable nationwide statistics are difficult to capture, researchers estimate that 70–80% of lockdowns result from threats that later turn out to be hoaxes, pranks, or misunderstandings (Washington Post).
These false reports range from teenagers making prank calls to sophisticated “swatting” attacks, where callers use technology to spoof numbers and trigger a heavy police response. Regardless of motive, the impact on schools is serious: lost instructional time, traumatized students, and strained law enforcement resources.
Comparison Table: False Alarms vs. Credible Threats
| Year | Estimated Total Threat Reports (U.S.) | % False Alarms/Hoaxes | % Credible Threats* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ~4,500 | 72% | 28% | Pandemic closures lowered school attendance, reducing threat volume |
| 2021 | ~5,900 | 74% | 26% | Surge in threats as schools reopened, many via TikTok/social media |
| 2022 | ~7,100 | 78% | 22% | National “swatting” wave triggered dozens of simultaneous lockdowns |
| 2023 | ~7,800 | 77% | 23% | FBI issued warnings about fake active shooter calls |
| 2024 | ~8,200 | 75% | 25% | Increase in anonymous online tips; most still unsubstantiated |
*Credible threats = incidents where weapons, plots, or direct actionable plans were verified, not necessarily resulting in violence.
Key Insight: Over the past five years, roughly three out of four school threats have been confirmed as false alarms, pranks, or swatting calls, but each required a full lockdown response to ensure safety.
Why Students and Others Make False Threats
It’s tempting to dismiss hoaxes as childish pranks, but the motivations vary:
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Desire to skip school — A common reason among high school students.
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Attention-seeking — Using fear to gain notoriety.
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Copycat behavior — Following other incidents in the news.
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Disruption tactics — Sometimes tied to tests, events, or disciplinary avoidance.
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Malicious intent — In rare cases, individuals may want to provoke chaos or test response systems.
While many threats are unserious in intent, schools and police cannot afford to assume that any threat is harmless. Every case must be treated as real until proven otherwise.
Case Study: Long Beach High School
The lockdown at Long Beach High School highlights how the process works in practice. At 7:48 a.m., a phone threat prompted the school to enter lockdown. Students sheltered in classrooms, police swarmed the area, and district officials activated communication systems. Hours later, no weapon or attacker was found, and the lockdown was lifted. The district then maintained lockout procedures—tightened exterior access—through the remainder of the day.
This incident fits a broader pattern: initial alarm, swift lockdown, careful police sweep, and eventual confirmation that no actual danger existed. The system worked, but it also disrupted hundreds of families and drained law enforcement resources for the day.
Impact on Students and Communities
Even if a threat turns out to be false, the psychological and operational impacts are very real:
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Student Anxiety — Lockdowns, even drills, raise stress levels. Real or false, they can spark lasting worry among kids.
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Instructional Disruption — Hours of teaching and learning are lost, sometimes across an entire district if nearby schools join the lockdown.
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Community Fear — Parents often rush to schools, clogging traffic and creating additional safety risks.
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Financial Cost — Police departments expend significant resources on responses, including SWAT teams, K-9 units, and overtime pay.
How Schools Differentiate Between Real Threats and False Alarms
Determining credibility is challenging, but law enforcement uses several tools:
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Caller ID tracing and digital forensics to identify hoaxers.
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Threat assessment teams that weigh language, context, and prior behavior.
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Partnerships with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security when swatting patterns span multiple states (FBI.gov).
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Post-incident analysis to improve drills, communications, and community response.
Still, in the first moments of a threat, schools rarely know whether it is credible. That’s why the default response is to secure the campus and treat it as real until proven otherwise.
False Alarms vs. Real Dangers
While most lockdowns are eventually classified as false alarms, real attacks do occur—and they’re devastating. The tragic events at schools in Uvalde, Parkland, and Sandy Hook demonstrate why no threat can ever be ignored.
The dilemma is balancing vigilance with the recognition that a majority of incidents are pranks or hoaxes. Unfortunately, there is no safe shortcut. It is better to endure a dozen false alarms than to ignore one real threat.
What Parents and Students Can Do
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Take every lockdown seriously — Even if most end up being false alarms.
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Avoid spreading rumors — Social media speculation worsens anxiety and spreads misinformation.
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Trust official communications — Wait for verified updates from the school or police.
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Talk with kids afterward — Reassure them, acknowledge their fears, and explain the safety systems in place.
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Report concerning behavior — If a student overhears or sees something suspicious online, it should be reported immediately.
Community Costs of False Alarms
Every false alarm diverts resources from genuine emergencies. For police departments, repeated hoaxes can desensitize responders or drain budgets. For schools, constant lockdowns create an environment where education is repeatedly interrupted by fear.
Some states have begun passing laws imposing harsh penalties on students or others who make false threats, including criminal charges and restitution for the cost of emergency responses. The goal is deterrence—but the trend of school threats remains high.
Conclusion
So, how often are school threats and lockdowns false alarms or pranks? The answer is most of the time—estimates suggest up to three-quarters of threats prove unfounded. Yet schools and police cannot gamble on credibility in the moment. Yesterday’s lockdown at Long Beach High School was just one of many examples where a disruptive hoax triggered real emergency protocols.
The challenge for communities is twofold: keep students safe while minimizing fear and disruption. As technology improves, authorities are becoming more adept at tracing false reports and holding perpetrators accountable. Until then, every call, text, or social media post must be treated as real—because one day, it might be.
