SOUTHERN VERMONT REELING: State and Local Law Enforcement Confront Surging School “Swatting” Crisis

BENNINGTON, Vt. NewsWK —State and local law enforcement agencies are sounding the alarm over a highly disruptive wave of “swatting” incidents—hoax emergency calls alleging active shooters or bomb threats—targeting school districts across southern Vermont and the wider state.

The coordinated hoaxes, described by public safety officials as a form of low-level domestic terrorism designed to seed community panic, have pushed regional emergency response infrastructures to their limits and forced multiple local campuses into sudden, stressful lockdowns.

High-Volume Hoaxes Drain Local Resources

Swatting involves placing highly alarming, fraudulent 911 calls or digital messages to provoke an immediate, massive tactical response from law enforcement, K-9 units, and EMS crews. Authorities report that these incidents have become increasingly common.

The localized crisis follows a massive statewide campaign where an anonymous user utilized a digital chat function to broadcast threatening messages targeting a dozen intermediate and secondary institutions across Vermont. Among those directly targeted in the regional footprint were:

• Mt. Anthony Union High School (Bennington)
• Arlington Memorial High School (Arlington)
• Burr and Burton Academy (Manchester)
• Long Trail School (Dorset)

Just last week, a subsequent round of automated, garbled, AI-generated voice calls triggered an “all hands on deck” emergency response further north, leading to building evacuations and early dismissals in Burlington, Winooski, Montpelier, and Newport.

Jennifer Morrison, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety, emphasized the heavy toll these crimes take on municipal resources, flatly labeling the trend as an “obnoxious waste of resources.”

“Sad and Frightening”: The Toll on Classrooms

While law enforcement sweeps routinely clear the buildings and confirm the threats are completely unfounded, school officials emphasize that the damage is far from victimless. The disruptions rip through the community—causing severe emotional trauma for young students and faculty, forcing parents to frantically miss work for emergency pickups, and costing school districts significant lost instructional time.

“This is not the business of schools, but it feels like it’s become the business of schools,” noted North Country Supervisory Union Superintendent Elaine Collins following a recent evacuation. “And that’s kind of sad and frightening all at the same time.”

A Borderless Federal Investigation

Because swatting operators leverage automated bulk processes, digital masking tools, and spoofed IP addresses that frequently bounce to foreign countries, unmasking the perpetrators remains a steep technical challenge.

Adam Silverman, a spokesperson for the Vermont State Police, confirmed that state and local investigators are actively collaborating with the FBI and the Vermont Intelligence Center to track the digital footprints of the latest regional calls. Federal prosecutors have warned that juveniles caught engaging in these automated hoaxes face severe federal criminal prosecution due to the widespread trauma and emergency resource depletion they inflict.

Local police departments are urging residents and parents to remain vigilant, adhere to established school safety protocols during alerts, and report any suspicious digital behavior to authorities immediately.

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