It is February vacation week, but that did not stop someone from phoning in a school threat. 

Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said the department received a call on Thursday, Feb. 23 at around noon from someone alleging that a man carrying a gun had entered Barrington High School. Police immediately responded to the school and placed it on lockdown. 

The building was nearly empty — the only people inside were members of a basketball team practicing and some custodians and workers, Chief Correia said. 

After a thorough investigation, the alleged threat was deemed unfounded. Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore sent out a district-wide email, detailing the situation. 

“First, I want to assure you that all our students are safe in our high school building,” Messore wrote. “Barrington Police Department (BPD) was one of several police departments across the state today that received calls indicating an intruder entering school buildings.”

According to the email, police inspected the building and reviewed all the security footage, and confirmed that “no intrusion or threat occurred.” 

Messore wrote that school and police officials followed the necessary protocols and safety precautions to determine that there was no imminent threat and that the school buildings are safe.

“Throughout the year, BPS staff have been updated on these procedures and have engaged in training with BPD,” Messore wrote.

He added: “The well-being of our students and schools is my top priority. I am proud of BHS staff and administrators for taking swift action in line with our district emergency management policies to ensure the safety of our community. I share your need to know that our children are safe at school and applaud our well-trained and compassionate staff who work diligently to ensure our students can learn in a safe and supportive environment. Student safety takes all of us.”

Multiple districts impacted

Chief Correia said Barrington was not the only community to deal with a threatening call on Thursday. Bristol, East Providence, Narragansett, Cranston and Central Falls also received calls alleging active threats to their schools, Chief Correia said. 

“They call it ‘swatting’,” he said. “It’s not kids messing around.”

The chief said there were some similarities with the calls — the person calling the different towns identified themselves by the same name, and the calls came from similar numbers. Chief Correia said it was not yet determined if the call had been computer-generated or if it was someone masking their voice. 

The chief said multiple police departments in Massachusetts received threatening calls for their respective school departments on Feb. 13, 14 and 15. 

Chief Correia said Barrington Police will share information from the investigation with the Rhode Island Fusion Center, which works with the FBI. “Maybe something will come from it,” he added. 

Chief Correia said calling in a threat is a criminal offense.

The chief said Thursday’s incident served an opportunity for the police department to put training into practice. He said Barrington is planning a special training exercise in next month or two — BPD will collaborate with the Providence Police Department and stage active shooter training at the Carmelite monastery building. 

“There will be no live fire at the monastery,” Chief Correia said.