U.S. Department of Education
09/25/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2026 12:27
U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice Issue Guidance on 'Swatting’ Threats
September 25, 2026
As students begin a new school year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued joint guidance to all educational institutions on how to prepare for and respond to swatting incidents on campus. The guidance urges all schools to implement policies, and prepare personnel, to identify and mitigate anonymous threats on campuses.
Swatting is a malicious communication to emergency services that falsely reports a violent crime, prompting a heavy law enforcement response to a given location. Swatting incidents are designed to severely disrupt campus operations, intimidate the target of the false report, and can lead to inadvertent and potentially dangerous confrontations with law enforcement.
Schools often respond with shelter-in-place or lockdown orders, which can cause chaos and other harmful consequences when campuses are not well-prepared, including inflicting significant trauma to students, teachers, staff, and families. Swatting can also cost the campus thousands of hours in lost classroom instruction and can disrupt sensitive research activities.
"The Trump Administration is unwavering in its commitment to protecting the safety and security of students, teachers, and staff across the country. Acts of swatting pose a significant threat and will be treated with the utmost seriousness, including by federal law enforcement," said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. "As these anonymous and false incidents have become more prevalent across the nation, we hope this guidance will help inform institutional responses and support our campus communities."
"Swatting is especially destructive when it targets young people and their schools," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "While we stand ready to prosecute offenders, preparation by schools can help dissuade swatting and make it less damaging. The Department of Justice is pleased to see this helpful guidance."
ED and DOJ encourage educational institutions to review best practices and other resources designed to help them navigate instances of swatting effectively. The new guidance outlines controls, training, and other resources to help institutions identify threats and partner with local law enforcement to mitigate false reports.
The guidance can be accessed here.
Background
A school swatting incident may violate one or more federal criminal laws in addition to analogous state laws, including:
- Interstate Threatening Communication (18 U.S.C. § 875): Transmitting any communication containing a threat to injure a person in interstate or foreign commerce violates 18 U.S.C. § 875(c).
- False Information and Hoaxes (18 U.S.C. § 1038): This law criminalizes the conveyance of false information, where the conveyor knows it to be inaccurate. Among other things, the law covers communications concerning an attempt or alleged attempt to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property.
- Bomb Threats (18 U.S.C. § 844): School swatting incidents that involve bomb threats may also violate 18 U.S.C. § 844(e). That provision makes it a crime to, among other things, threaten to kill or injure any individual "by means of fire or an explosive." The statute also prohibits maliciously conveying false information about attempts to kill or injure others with fire or explosives if the individual knows the information is false.
- Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers (18 U.S.C. § 1030): If the swatting incident involves hacking into someone else's phone or computer to make the false report, the offender could be charged under this 18 U.S.C. § 1030, which prohibits unauthorized access to a protected computer to further an intended fraud.
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