Sunday marked 26 years since the mass school shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado.

It was the first — and remains one of the most devastating — modern school shootings in the U.S., shocking communities nationwide. Fourteen lives were lost that day, not including the two student attackers.

Then came Sandy Hook. On Dec. 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, a gunman killed 20 first-grader and six teachers, and two other adults were injured. The 20-year-old-shooter also killed his mother before carrying out the shooting.

And closer to home, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. On Feb. 14, 2018, Chris Hixon — a Pleasant Valley High School graduate and beloved wrestling coach — was killed alongside two other coaches as they tried to shield students from gunfire. Seventeen people were murdered, and another 17 were wounded.

These are the nightmares that force every school administrator to take every threat seriously.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking steps to address the growing issue of empty threats and hoax calls that disrupt schools and put lives at risk. Senate Bill 96, supported by all Times News area senators, passed on April 1. The bill elevates threats against schools and colleges to a third-degree felony instead of a misdemeanor and calls for reimbursements costs to responders.

Bill sponsor Sen. Michele Brooks from western Pennsylvania, wrote in the introduction, “In the tragic wake of the Nashville school shooting that took the lives of three children and three staff, hoax callers falsely alerted law enforcement agencies of active school shooter situations in multiple counties across our state. These calls triggered a massive emergency response, creating perilous conditions for students, teachers and public safety agencies alike.”

She said several schools in her district were on the receiving end of “cruel and extremely depraved hoax calls.”

“The added stress on our schools, communities, emergency responders, and law enforcement officers to respond to these specific and dangerous false reports require a commensurate response in our criminal statute. Additionally, the legislation provides for reimbursement to affected entities for costs of an evacuation or other response resulting from the threat,” Brooks wrote.

“School lockdowns are very stressful for students, educators, parents, and law enforcement,” said state Sen. Dave Argall said.

“The current penalties don’t seem to be working,” he added.

In March 2023, Lehighton Area High School was among numerous schools targeted by a swatting hoax. Lehighton Borough Police received a call from a man with a thick foreign accent, claiming there was a shooting at the high school with five victims in a bathroom.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown, and a thorough search by local police and school authorities revealed no threat. Investigations indicated that similar false reports were made to other districts in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Incidents like these derail a whole day of learning. Students become anxious. Parents flood parking lots to pick up children. Administrators worry: What if this one is real?

Gone are the days when a prank call could be brushed off as a bad joke. Today, every threat could mean lives are on the line. Every response costs time, focus, and money.

SB96 also outlines restitution for the damages: from unused cafeteria food to the salaries of emergency personnel, teachers, and school staff involved in the response. If passed, those found guilty will be held accountable for every wasted resource.

Sound extreme? It’s not. It’s necessary.

Because every time a call comes in, administrators must act — and communities brace for the worst. And public resources are used for no reason at all.

SB96 now heads to the House Judiciary Committee. We urge lawmakers not to stall this important legislation for the sake of schools, families, and the first responders who risk their lives to protect them.

MARTA GOUGER | mgouger@tnonline.com