Elmwood Village Charter Schools enter “hold-in-place” after threats

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — According to a source who spoke with News 4, both Elmwood Village Charter School locations have entered a “hold-in-place” procedure in wake of the social media threats against area schools.

This means classes will continue, but access to school buildings from the outside will be restricted. Staff will be monitoring school doors.

The notice was sent to staff members just after 8 a.m. In it, administrators say police were sent to both campuses (Hertel and Days Park) on Wednesday morning.

“Given this information, we are going to exercise the most extreme caution and treat this as a credible threat,” administrators wrote to staff.

The Buffalo school district has also called for an increased presence of police near and around the Buffalo Public Schools.

BPS to have “consistent police presence” near schools

“Throughout the day, our district was made aware of multiple social media threats targeting retail locations, dining locations, sporting events, etc.  The district was even made aware of a generalized threat on a social media post naming schools in multiple districts including Buffalo Public Schools. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Buffalo Police Department, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations do not believe the messages posted to be credible threats. However, know that the district is taking additional safety measures. As such, you can expect to see consistent police presence near and around our school buildings.  Thank you.”

Buffalo Public Schools