Monday’s lockdown of both Star Valley and Cokeville High Schools in LCSD No. 2 were part of a series of fake calls to dispatch centers around the state claiming that an active shooter was in the local school.

In a released statement from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and LCSD2, the lockdown of Star Valley High School went into effect at 8:48 a.m. after law enforcement received a notification that there was an active shooter with multiple victims in the high school. Shortly after, a similar notification was received for Cokeville High School and they also entered into Secure status. All other schools within the district entered into Secure status following the district’s safety response protocols.

Shortly after, it was determined by law enforcement that the call was not a viable threat and was similar to calls made to other dispatch centers in Wyoming around a similar time period. By 9:40 a.m. all schools in the district were taken out of Secure mode and resumed regular operations.

Natrona County, Cheyenne South, Rock Springs and Crook County were some of the other high schools in Wyoming that reported lockdowns following similar fake reports of an active shooter. Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson told SVI News that it appears the calls originated from out of the country and is likely related to similar hoaxes in other states.

“We want to express our appreciation for the quick response of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, including School Resource Officer Corey Bassett, and the Afton and Cokeville Police departments,” stated LCSD2 and LCSO in the joint statement.  “We commend the response from our building principals, secretaries, teachers, students and district staff. We appreciate the patience of parents and stakeholders while we ensured information posted was accurate and timely. We have additional law enforcement presence on our campuses the remainder of today giving families, students, and staff additional peace of mind.”

LCSD2 Superintendent Matt Erickson provided an update on Swift 98.7 FM after it was determined no students were in danger and the calls were a hoax. The update can be heard below.

Similar incidents happened last week in Utah, when more than a dozen schools went into lockdown following what were determined as fake reports of an active shooter. In the Utah instances, police have determined that the calls originated from outside the United State.