Schools throughout the state, including East Burke School, were caught up in a hoax on Wednesday

Schools throughout the state, including East Burke School, were caught up in a hoax on Wednesday in which phone calls claimed there were active shooters inside the schools. Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said the calls came in between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday, indicating there were 21 active shooter situations at Vermont schools. None of the threats were real. Other Northeast Kingdom schools identified in the hoax were Newport City Elementary School, North Country Union High School in Newport, North Country Union Junior High School in Derby and United Christian Academy in Newport. According to state police, the calls originated from VOIP phone numbers or potentially spoofed 802 numbers and appear to be associated with ongoing nationwide hoax phone threats of school shootings, bomb threats, and other violent events that have proved to be unfounded.