SWATTING

WHEREAS, swatting is a dangerous and malicious practice in which false reports of emergencies are made to law enforcement with the intent of prompting a large-scale police response, often involving SWAT teams; and

WHEREAS, swatting incidents have been on the rise, posing significant threats to public safety, causing unnecessary panic, and diverting valuable resources away from genuine emergencies; and

WHEREAS, the safety and well-being of students, educators and staff in our schools are of paramount importance; and

WHEREAS, our nation’s school districts must take proactive measures to prevent and respond to potential swatting incidents in order to ensure a secure learning environment:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will call for a collaboration of enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders for the purpose of developing and updating comprehensive guidelines and procedures aimed at preventing and responding to swatting incidents in schools; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will advocate for legislation imposing severe penalties on adults who are found guilty of engaging in swatting activities, with a focus on deterring such malicious behavior; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will encourage the development of a reporting mechanism for the purpose of compiling information about swatting incidents and the effectiveness of prevention measures and evaluating the collected data for areas of risk and response improvement.

Adopted May 28, 2025