AGWSR Superintendent Ben Petty informed families and staff on Friday, October 24th, that AGWSR High School was the target of what appeared to be a “swatting” call—a false report intended to trigger a law enforcement response. The call, which mentioned explosives at the school, prompted officials to immediately follow emergency procedures and contact local authorities.
During the investigation, the district learned that similar calls had been made to multiple schools across Iowa and the nation that day, all using the same AI-generated voice and message. Law enforcement officials believe the automated calls originated from outside the United States and have primarily targeted schools beginning with the letter “A.” Some other schools targeted Friday included Algona and Alburnett.
Petty emphasized that while “the report was taken seriously, no credible threat to student safety was found.” He acknowledged that it’s unfortunate that schools and law enforcement officials are dealing with these kinds of calls and response to these events can cause a great deal of stress for everyone involved, including parents, students and staff.
Full statement regarding the incident at AGWSR below
