Baldwin County school officials detail response to false emergency calls

The district says it typically receives two to three such calls each school year and investigates every report with local law enforcement.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Baldwin County School District officials say false emergency reports and non-credible threats remain an ongoing concern, with the district already receiving one such call this school year.

Superintendent Dr. Kristina Brooks says the district has received just one call so far this school year, but historically, the county sees two to three more as the school year continues.

Security Director Corey Goble says none of the calls are credible, but they take them seriously to keep all students and staff safe.

“We’re experiencing them on average two to three times a school year generally,” Goble said.

Goble says Baldwin County schools partner with local law enforcement to investigate these calls.

“We’re fortunate in this county to have a fantastic working relationship with our sheriff’s department and police department to assist us in addressing not only the investigative component of it, but the recovery and reaction component of it too,” he said. “Like anything, there’s never been an emergency that was planned. They always happen when they happen. It gives us the opportunity to test our plans, and make ourselves better, because no two of these have been alike.”

Superintendent Dr. Kristina Brooks says Baldwin County takes safety seriously.

“For us, we have regular safety drills every month,” Brooks said. “We drill down during our leadership meetings about safety processes. It is first and foremost the work and conversation we are doing here. For our parents, we would also like to remind them that every investigation we do is done thoroughly.”

Goble says the county experiences threats from states away, but they have measures in place to determine whether a threat is real or a hoax.

“We have technology in place,” Goble said. “We have other response mechanisms in place. Again, this is a reactive response generally. Yes, there are proactive measures we’ve taken on the front in to mitigate, but again, we don’t know when someone’s going to pick up the phone and do something irrational and call in and try to disrupt. And that’s the point and the purpose of this, is to disrupt.”

The district is asking parents and the community to stay calm and rely on the district for accurate updates.