Governor Andrew Cuomo is ordering state police to increase patrols around schools statewide "out of an abundance of caution" following what he calls "copycat threats."
At least four districts in Western New York received some sort of threat Friday - Niagara Wheatfield, Chautauqua Lake, Randolph Academy and Ashville BOCES. None of the threats was determined to be credible by police.
According to the governor's office, in the cases of both Chautauqua Lake and Randolph Academy, a student said he would bring a gun to school. Both students involved have been taken into custody.
New York State Police have taken 3 students into custody under the state’s mental hygiene law. A 17-year-old student at Chautauqua Lake, a 15-year-old student from Ashville BOCES and a 16-year-old student believed to be involved in the Randolph Academy incident. All 3 are being evaluated at local hospitals.
In Niagara Wheatfield, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office is investigating what the district describes as an "alarming social media post" involving Niagara Wheatfield schools.
"There is an unconfirmed, I stress unconfirmed report, that someone saw an alarming social media post," superintendent Daniel Ljiljanich posted on the district's web site. Ljiljanich said all buildings operate on lockout each day and all students and staff are safe.
The threats come two days after a gunman opened fire inside a high school in Broward County, Florida, killing 17 people.
"There are serious legal consequences for any person posing a threat whether or not they intend to actually execute upon that threat," Cuomo said. "A student should know there is nothing humorous about these situations and the consequences are most severe."
