School districts in Clinton and Muscatine, Iowa received alarming reports of violence this morning, but fortunately, these threats were unfounded.

Parents in the Clinton Community School District received emails from the Clinton Schools Messenger System at 8:50 a.m. that read:

“There has been a report of an alleged shooting at Clinton High School. There is no school at CHS today. The school is currently in lock down and Clinton Police are in the building investigating. Other schools in our district are in session but are in lock down. There is no immediate threat to the community or to our other buildings at this time.”

A spokesperson for the district said that someone called 911 to report a shooting. The report was investigated thoroughly but was unsupported. There are no classes at Clinton High School today. Classes are being held at all other schools, but they are on lockdown. A post on the Clinton High School’s Facebook page says that several large schools in Eastern Iowa have also received 911 calls about active shooters. They say they are continuing to work with the Clinton Police Department to reconnect students and parents.

The Muscatine Community School District also received a similar call this morning. According to a release from Superintendent Clint Christopher and Police Chief Tony Kies, the high school was “swatted” this morning. “Swatting” means a fake threat was called into the police department from outside the state of Iowa. The threat referenced a staff member who does not exist within the high school or district. The police swept the entire building and once it was determined there was no credible threat, classes resumed.

“While this is certainly a disruption to the day, we will do our best to resume school as normal at Muscatine High School,” the release said. “Should any students or staff need to speak with a counselor, please know it is okay. Similar ‘swatting’ calls are happening to other school districts across the state of Iowa. Mulberry Elementary School was also temporarily locked down due to its proximity to Muscatine High School. Please know that we take the safety of all students and staff very seriously and work very closely with the Muscatine Police Department. We appreciate their efforts and timely response.”