MADISON, Wis. — Following the school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School, Madison Metropolitan School District received many fake school shooting threats. 

On Monday, Dec. 16, a 15-year-old female student killed another teenage student and a teacher at the private Madison school, police said. The shooter also died. Another six people were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from “minor” to “life-threatening,” according to police.

What You Need To Know

  • Trish Kilpin is the executive director for Wisconsin’s Office of School Safety. She said false threats often happen after a school shootings

  • Kilpin said the Office of School Safety provides services for all public and private schools in Wisconsin, including Abundant Life Christian School

  • Kilpin said the Office of School Safety runs Speak Up Speak Out, which has a tip line that people can call if they believe someone is planning an attack on a school

  • The Speak Up Speak Out tip line can be contacted at 1-800-MY-SUSO-1

A message was sent out from the school to parents. It read: 

"Dear MMSD community, 

"This morning, a number of our schools received phone calls that reported a person in crisis outside their building with a weapon. The calls were made to appear as though they were coming via 988, which is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. MMSD’s Office of School Safety immediately contacted the City of Madison Police Department, which quickly determined them to be non-credible.

"Out of an abundance of caution, the schools that were targeted by these hoax calls were placed on a brief Secure. 

"Hoax threats like these, also called “swatting,” have become increasingly common, particularly following tragic situations. Schools and districts across the country are regularly impacted by them. Regardless of the circumstances, we treat every threat with the utmost seriousness and conduct thorough investigations in partnership with law enforcement to ensure the security of our students and staff.

"We understand that these situations can be distressing for students, families and staff. Please know that the well-being and safety of everyone in our school community is our highest priority. If your child has questions or concerns, we encourage you to talk with them or have them reach out to a trusted adult at their school. And as always, if you have information that can help to keep our community safe, you can always share it anonymously via Speak Up Speak Out. 

"Thank you for your continued trust, support and partnership as we work together to maintain safe and secure learning environments for all.

"Sincerely, Madison Metropolitan School District" 

Trish Kilpin is the executive director for Wisconsin’s Office of School Safety. She said false threats often happen after a school shootings. 

“It was very unfortunate and every upsetting to think that kids going to school the day after a school shooting would fear that they were in danger,” Kilpin said. 

Kilpin said the Office of School Safety provides services for all public and private schools in Wisconsin, including Abundant Life Christian School. 

“Making sure they are up to date on their security practices; they have been really good school safety partners and we are helping and supporting them in their recovery,” Kilpin said. 

Kilpin said the Office of School Safety runs Speak Up Speak Out, which has a tip line that people can call if they believe someone is planning an attack on a school. 

“When someone has a hit list or is doing other research on other school shooters or says they are going to engage in another school shooting, we need to know about that,” Kilpin said. 

The Speak Up Speak Out tip line can be contacted at 1-800-MY-SUSO-1.

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