Back-to-back AirDrop threats disrupt Goshen schools

Goshen High School went into a four hour hold-in-place after multiple students received a threatening AirDrop message about “shooting up the school,” on Thursday, October 6,

AirDrop is a way to send photos, videos, and files over Bluetooth between Apple devices, such as iPhones. Recipients only see the sender’s “device name,” which can easily be changed. Depending on various factors, such as whether the device name was changed and if the original file was deleted from the offender’s device, the message may or may not be traceable by police.

The threat was received during first period gym class, but it was not reported by a student until after the class was dismissed at approximately 8:45 a.m. Police were notified at that time, and the school went into “hold-in-place,” a security measure that holds students and staff in their classrooms to limit movement throughout the building. State Police brought in a dog to sniff out explosives and gun powder.

Over the course of the next four hours, Village of Goshen Police and New York State Police searched students’ phones and swept the school for weapons. None were found. The police determined that the threat was not credible and lifted the hold-in-place around 12:45 p.m.

As of press time, Village of Goshen Police are still investigating the incident.

Since AirDrop can reach other Apple devices that are within a 30-foot radius, police were able to determine that the threat came from within the gym class. They reviewed security footage from the school, “but nothing was useful for the investigation,” said Village of Goshen Police Chief Jim Watt.

Multiple students who received the threat turned their phones over to police. The department is currently awaiting “technical analysis,” of the phones, and is attempting to “reverse-engineer” who sent the message, said Watt. The department is still conducting interviews about the event.

“We are following leads,” said Watt. He declined to comment about whether the department believes one or multiple students conspired to send the threat.

A second threat

The district endured a second violent AirDrop threat the following evening, October 7, during C.J. Hooker’s 7th and 8th grade dance. The event is an annual rite of passage for Goshen students; for many 7th graders, it was their first school dance.

The dance was originally scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but came to a halt at 7:30 p.m. when a student received a bomb threat via AirDrop.

The middle school was evacuated immediately with help from Village of Goshen Police. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office brought in a dog trained to sniff out explosives and swept the building for weapons. None were found.

The Village of Goshen Police, however, were able to determine who sent the bomb threat during the dance Friday evening. Two 7th grade students were each charged with one count of Falsely Reporting an Incident in the First Degree, a class D Felony. They were released to their parents that night with appearance tickets for Orange County Family Court.

Watt declined to share how police were able to determine which students sent the threat at the middle school.

“There is no connection,” Watt said, between the gun threat last Thursday, and the bomb threat last Friday.

Goshen Central School District, meanwhile, is reviewing how to prevent future AirDrop threats, and has counselors available for students who are struggling or feeling traumatized because of these events.

“Although these two individual threats were both deemed unfounded by local police enforcement, the damage they caused is undeniable,” Goshen Superintendent Kurtis Kotes said in a letter to parents. “Our students and employees deserve to feel safe while on school grounds, and a threat to their safety, even when unfounded, is something that district officials and local police take very seriously.”

Goshen Central School District made a video for parents about AirDrop and parental controls, which can be viewed by visiting: www.bit.ly/goshen-airdrop

If you are a parent or student in the Goshen school district and are willing to share your thoughts or experiences about last week’s AirDrop threats, please email reporter Molly Colgan at molly.colgan@strausnews.com