As a recent case in Washington State illustrates, there are individuals who will communicate threats via electronic means.  Unfortunately, this case is not unique as we have been seeing this type of situation play out for more than a decade.  Compounding the impact of the vast majority of the threats which are not actual attack warnings are the few but horrific instances where someone has made statements of great concern prior to an actual attack.

A solid relationship with law enforcement officials can provide a good foundation for schools to more effectively address these challenging situations.  Local law enforcement agencies that do not have the resources to investigate cybercrimes can obtain valuable assistance from state and federal agencies that have these types of resources.  A number of arrests have been made when local, state and/or federal agencies work to assist public and non-public schools that are the target of these malicious and sometimes disturbing threats.