LADUE, Mo. — A bomb threat prompted the Ladue School District to cancel classes Tuesday at Ladue Horton Watkins High School.
A district spokesperson said the threat was called into the school Tuesday morning. The call was received too late for a thorough investigation before the school day began, which led to the decision to cancel class "out of an abundance of caution."
No other schools in the district were impacted.
"The safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance; therefore, I will always err on the side of caution," Superintendent Jim Wipke wrote in an announcement on the school's website.
Local police, school resource officers and the district safety and security coordinator were investigating the threat, the alert said. Bomb-sniffing dogs and a drone swept the school before the all-clear was given.
"From what we have learned through our investigation this morning, this appears to be a part of the national trend of 'swatting hoax' and we do not believe the threat is credible," the superintendent said later Tuesday morning. "However, we take all threats against our school seriously."
The school said it would keep families and staff updated throughout the day. Coaches and sponsors will contact students regarding after-school activities and athletics.
Ladue police were working with multiple agencies, including the FBI, to track down the source of the threat.
“In the end you just don’t take chances,” Ladue Superintendent Jim Whipke said.
Unfortunately, school threats are nothing new.
“I remember when we were a kid we had bomb threats at school,” Lindenwood Criminal Justice professor Darren Marhanka said.
However, Marhanka said swatting calls are part of a growing trend around the country.
“It’s a call that will generate a SWAT team response,” Marhanka said. “Generally, it’s a large incident, or a reported large incident such as the bomb threat at Ladue Horton.”
In many cases, including in Ladue, swatting calls requires a large number of police resources to be pulled from area departments and the FBI.
“Many agencies rely on the help from other agencies to support them during that process,” Marhanka said. “That takes away the ability for those agencies to work for their own constituents.”
The good news, according to Marhanka, is that these threats are typically easily traced.
“With cell phones, and cell phone technology, and the ability to go back and track that back it's a great advantage to law enforcement,” Marhanka said. “Officers can go back and track who called it in and try to bring that person to justice.”
That’s why he said local police will continue to respond to every threat.
“We all want to be safe at the end of the day,” Marhanka said.
Class was scheduled to resume Wednesday at Ladue Horton Watkins High.
Resources
The Ohel National Teacher Support Helpline offers teachers and school administrators free, confidential help navigating mental health and trauma-related issues for themselves and their students.
For anyone in need of immediate mental health support, Behavioral Health Response’s 24/7/365 Crisis Line and Youth Connection Helpline has a clinician available free of charge. Call 988, 314-469-6644 or 314-819-8802 (youth). Youth can also chat online at bhrstl.com or text BHEARD to 31658.
Compass Health Network's Behavioral Health Crisis Centers are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The centers serve those 18 and older who are dealing with a mental health crisis and are under- or uninsured. Those in crisis can also call toll-free at 888-237-4567.
Safe Connections helps break the barriers of silence and isolation after experiencing trauma. Call the Safe Connections Crisis Helpline at 314-531-2003. You can also text that number from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, free of charge.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital Victim of Violence Program helps “curb the reoccurrence of interpersonal violence in the lives of children who have been shot, stabbed or assaulted, involved in domestic violence and Fit for Confinement evaluations.”