Threats made to American school buildings, including several NEO schools, deemed not credible, says FBI

A series of concerning emails allegedly from a Russian terrorist organization have been sent to schools across Ohio threatening violence, according to a press release from the Ohio School Public Relations Association.

Many Northeast Ohio school districts shared via Facebook that they were among those who received the email, including Berea, Akron, Amherst and Cuyahoga Falls, according to . According to the FBI and the Cleveland Joint Terrorism Task Force, the threats were found to be non-credible.

As a precaution, schools sent out emails to families notifying them of the “swatting” incidents.

The Big Creek Elementary School was in receipt of one of the emails and, as an added precaution, took “extensive measures to ensure the safety of our students and staff. This includes a complete search of Big Creek Elementary School by a bomb-sniffing dog and safety personnel, which resulted in no dangerous materials being found,” the Berea City School district said in a letter to families.

The letter said there will also be a heightened presence in and around the Berea school district.

Although Avon City Schools did not receive any threat, they notified families that “school will be in session tomorrow and as a precaution, there will be additional police presence in all of our buildings,” the school said in an email to staff and families.

The OHSPRA stated that the “swatting” emails are similar to incidents that happened in Texas Friday, which were also found to be non-credible.