EPHRATA - Ephrata School District has recently created new resources for families to understand the school district’s preparedness for and responses to emergency situations.

In November, Ephrata Schools worked with local first responders on a tabletop exercise to coordinate their responses to a school emergency. A release by the school district states that the district plans to be proactive in communicating with families about their emergency procedures and preparedness so the community will know what to expect from the district in emergency situations.

As part of that proactive communication, Jan. 25 the district sent home an informational letter on swatting.

Swatting is a prank 911 call that reports a fake emergency at a school. It is designed to trick emergency services into sending police or emergency service response teams to schools or other locations where an emergency has not occurred, the letter stated.

The district stated that swatting has not occurred in the ESD but reports of these events are on the rise in Washington state according to information provided to them by the North Central Educational Service District.

“With this letter, we hope to educate and inform our families so that the first time they're hearing about this is not in response to an occurrence at one of our schools,” the letter signed by Superintendent Tim Payne said.

Here is a link to the new safety and security information: http://bit.ly/3kFMyUZ