Over 36 hours last week, 42 reports of threats of violence against schools were submitted statewide, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department. All were deemed not credible by police, but investigating the threats disrupted learning and drained school and police resources.

“The fear of a mass shooting actually gives people an additional tool to disrupt schools,” Odis Johnson, executive director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, said in an interview. “The person wants the threat to be known because the violence is in the fear it provokes.”

Since Sept. 16, Anne Arundel County Police have investigated 22 threats affecting roughly five schools, according to the police department.

Superintendent Mark Bedell said he’s been speaking with other superintendents who are also dealing with a surge in threats. Last week, Carroll County Police investigated four threats, Baltimore City Public Schools Police reviewed roughly 12, and Howard County Police reviewed seven online school-related threats.

“Schools are being threatened to be shot up or bombed. It’s creating a level of fear that we don’t need and often becomes an impediment to our students flourishing academically,” Bedell said Thursday in his weekly virtual address.

Police investigate every reported threat and encourage people to report any threats directly to the police or school officials rather than posting about them online.

“These incidents often originate on social media with misinformation or false narratives. Spreading or sharing these rumors can cause fear and panic in schools, disrupt the learning environment, and create broader safety concerns in the community,” Anne Arundel County Police said in a release.

Attempts to identify the individuals responsible for the threats are ongoing, according to the release.

At an Anne Arundel County Board of Education meeting Wednesday, members discussed the threats and the recent shootings at Joppatowne High School in Harford County, where one student died, and at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where two students and two teachers were killed. They also discussed what additional security measures, like clear backpacks or metal detectors, might look like for the district.

In all Anne Arundel public schools, exterior doors are locked, and visitors undergo a screening process to enter, according to district spokesperson Bob Mosier. If a threat arises while students are in school, safety protocols are implemented as needed.

Measures like metal detectors come with drawbacks, including the need for additional staff to manage lines and students waiting in bad weather, said Bedell, who cited past schools he’s worked at that used metal detectors. Additionally, the technology often generates false positives and needs more scientific research, according to Johnson.

“What happens when people make schools feel like prisons and students feel like suspects is it ends up lowering achievement,” said Johnson.

Board members also raised concerns about metal detectors.

“It is, in my view, a sign of our failure as adults and, more importantly, a sign of a deeply disordered society if we are willing to do things that effectively turn our children’s schools into prisons or fortresses when we know how developmentally unsound that is,” said Joanne Tobin, who represents District 6.

Melissa Ellis, who represents District 4, said she worries about the psychological effects of metal detectors, and Corine Frank, who represents District 3, said she would not support metal detectors because of the additional logistical and safety challenges they pose. Michelle Corkadel, who represents District 7, expressed faith in existing procedures.

Bedell and board members also called on lawmakers to address the threat of gun violence with legislation.

“As long as we tolerate, as a society, the use of weapons of war over our children’s lives, this will continue to happen again and again,” said Dana Schallheim, who represents District 5.

Johnson also emphasized that “sensible gun control” creates an environment where people feel safe and, by extension, helps reduce the fear and panic caused by online threats.

“As soon as we get the actual shootings and gun violence under control, then I think you’ll see a decrease in schools with such events,” said Johnson, referring to the uptick in threats.

Bedell stressed any changes to security protocols will be done with community input and will take time.

“Let’s have conversations with our kids about acceptable use of social media. Let’s talk about safety, the well-being of each other, and how we can resolve problems in a more cordial manner,” Bedell said Thursday.