An 11-year-old boy is facing charges through juvenile court after state police said he called Fayette 911 from Brownsville Area Elementary School on Tuesday and played a video that mentioned a firearm.
The Luzerne Township school was locked down as a result and troopers said they used a police dog to sweep the building.
Dismissal at the school was delayed, according to Trooper Forrest Allison.
Police said they investigated multiple 911 hang up calls around 1:30 p.m. and learned a child at the school used a deactivated cellphone that was connected to Wi-Fi to make the calls. A video in which someone mentioned firearms was playing in the background on another cellphone during the calls, police said.
After the lockdown was lifted, students were dismissed in a controlled manner, Allison said.
Area schools have been dealing with a barrage of threats recently, prompting one education official to call it an “unusual” amount. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this year warned of the possibility of heightened threats as students return to classrooms.
In Pennsylvania, districts use Safe2Say Something, a tip line that offers an outlet for students to anonymously report concerns about threats or threatening behavior. The program, which is run by the state Attorney General’s Office, was established in 2018 following a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people.
