On Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, dozens of schools across the Capital Region received unfounded bomb threats, causing delayed opening and cancelled classes throughout the district. These threats came in at 4:00 AM as anonymous emails sent to the individual schools. These kinds of threats and unfounded reports are referred to as “Swatting”.  Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, “I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school. Swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers, and families.” 

Officials believe that these threats were most likely computer generated overseas. 

“I have directed the New York State Police to investigate these threats and work closely with all levels of law enforcement to identify the perpetrators, hold them accountable, and restore the sense of safety and security our children deserve. Since the first round of swatting incidents occurred last week, State Police have been working closely with the State Education Department, county leadership and local school boards to provide support and necessary resources to address these incidents.” Governor Hochul said in a statement.

The FBI defines swatting as calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement – usually a SWAT team, hence the name.

In a statement, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik condemned the incident: “The soulless criminals who committed these shameful and cowardly illegal acts must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I thank our local and state law enforcement who are working to investigate these threats, so perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice.”

Applause and cheers rang out as the Glens Falls student cabinet announced the new Glens Falls mascot – The Black Bears! This announcement came yesterday at a special meeting of the Board of Education. The Board of Education members approved the student cabinet recommendation, and the mascot and icons will change over on July 1, 2023; this change will include the school’s apparel, fixtures, and turf field, along with other items.

The process of rebranding the Glens Falls mascot began when the New York State Education Department ordered all districts to remove “Indian” mascots and associated Native American imagery from the public school system.

Along with the mascot rebranding, Glens Falls School City District also established their core values of Unity, Support, Passion and Grit. Establishing these values was the first step in developing their mascot, and to establish these core values, 829 participants shared 404 ideas, which were rated by 29,447 participating students, employees, families, alumni, and neighbors. As the process continued, the four mascot finalists were announced: Knights, Wolves, Black Bears, and Hawks. 

Beside the total vote count, there were other factors that were considered in making the final decision – the Corinth Central School District recently chose their new mascot; The River Hawks. There was concern about having a similar mascot as a nearby school… Also, the Knights mascot garnered concern about unity.

With these two no longer in consideration, The Black Bears was chosen over The Wolves. The next step in the process of rebranding is developing the icons and logos; however, red and black will remain the school colors, and GF Nation will still be used as a moniker.

Area schools are on a two-hour delay, and some have closed due to threats received by the school districts. Hudson Falls and Queensbury are among the schools under a two-hour delay for Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, due to these threats.

According to The Hudson Falls Central School District website, Hudson Falls CSD – along with a number of other local schools – received bomb threats. The Hudson Falls Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were both notified. The validity of this claim is currently being investigated. 

Queensbury Union Free School District notified families via phone message; the message indicated that a threat was received, and that a two-hour delay was in effect.  According to Spectrum 1 News, the listing of schools that are either on delay or are closed include: Argyle, Cambridge, Granville, Fort Ann, Fort Edward, Greenwich, Hartford, Hudson Falls, Salem, White Hall, and Queensbury . 

Glens Falls City School District communicated with families via email: “Schools in our area have received emailed bomb threats this morning, Which is causing delayed starts. Glens Falls HAS NOT received any type of threat, as of this time. Our School Resource Officers are conducting walkthroughs of the HS/MS, and additional police presence will be at each elementary building, purely for the precaution and reassurance for the students and staff. As always, please be aware of your surroundings, and if you see something, say something,” the email stated.

We will continue to follow up as this story develops and more information becomes available.