STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

State officials to discuss statewide hoax school threats

Governor, education, law-enforcement representatives will brief reporters at noon in Montpelier

 

MONTPELIER, Vermont (Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023) — A news conference to discuss today’s hoax school threat calls across Vermont will take place at noon today at the Governor’s Ceremonial Office at the Statehouse in Montpelier.

 

Gov. Phil Scott will be joined by Secretary of Education Dan French, Commissioner of Public Safety Jennifer Morrison, Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew T. Birmingham, and Rob Evans, Vermont’s school safety liaison.

 

Remote access to the news conference will be available. Members of the media wishing to access the livestream should email Vermont State Police Public Information Officer Adam Silverman at adam.silverman@vermont.gov for the link.

 

 

***Initial news release, 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023***

Multiple law enforcement agencies across Vermont are receiving calls reporting shootings at local schools. At this time, none of these threats is believed to be credible, and the incidents appear to be hoaxes.

 

The calls have been reported to originate from VOIP phone numbers or potentially spoofed 802 numbers and appear to be associated with ongoing nationwide hoax phone threats of school shootings, bomb threats, and other violent events that have proved to be unfounded.

 

The Governor’s Office, Agency of Education, Department of Public Safety, Vermont State Police, Vermont Intelligence Center and local law-enforcement agencies are actively engaged in the response to these calls.

 

Further information will be available at a news conference expected to be held later today at the Governor’s Ceremonial Office at the Statehouse in Montpelier. Details of the news conference will be released as soon as they are available.

 

- 30 -