School safety experts have reported a 'worrying increase ' in e-terrorism , where threats are sent electronically - sometimes from thousands of miles away . The Ohio-based National School Safety and Security Services reviewed more than 800 school threats covered in the media during the first half of the 2014-15 academic year . Researchers found that about one-third of cases involved violent remarks sent anonymously via text message , social media , email or other online means . Law enforcement officers say the use of the modern technologies has made it much harder to determine if a threat is real and to find the culprit . Worrying trend : In this January 13 , 2014 photo , students pass by Seven Lakes High School after being evacuated for the day after a bomb squad was called to remove a potentially explosive device . In many cases , swift action is taken with lockdowns and evacuations . However , authorities say the majority of the time threats turn out to be hoaxes . Indeed , just this week a 16-year-old from Gateway High School in Kissimmee , Florida , was arrested for posting about a bomb threat on Twitter because 'she was angry and did not want to go to school , ' according to the Osceola County Sheriff 's Office . Complicating matters , the threats are n't just coming from within school walls or even a school 's neighborhood . Last fall , Lakota Middle School in Federal Way , Washington , was placed in lockdown and police responded after an email purportedly from the Islamic State group demanded ransom money and threatened to 'shoot and kill ' every American , according to a police report . A 14-year-old student was arrested after admitting the email had been sent by her online friend 'Ryan ' after she told him to 'swat ' her school because she thought it would be funny , police said . Anonymous : Law enforcement officers say the use of the modern technologies has made it that much harder to determine if a threat is real and to find the culprit ( stock photo ) 'Swatting ' plays off the idea of issuing a threat that draws a SWAT team in response , disrupting activities at the target of the threat . It appears to have originated with pranksters in the online gaming community . In a separate case , a 14-year-old in western Michigan was ordered by a judge to pay nearly $ 8,000 in restitution to the Coopersville Area Public Schools and the Ottawa County Sheriff 's Office for his involvement in a swatting incident that put schools in lockdown after a caller using computer-based technology made threats against the schools . Authorities say the call was made by a person code-named 'Ransom , ' whom the teen had met online . 'Ransom ' is believed to live in the UK and is suspected in a string of similar incidents from coast to coast , according to law enforcement . 'He will learn from this , ' the teen 's father said , according to the Grand Rapids Press in Michigan . The motivations of the threat makers vary , just as they did a generation ago when bomb threats were called in by pay phone : avoiding a test , revenge or simply to show off . With swatting , a motivation appears to be thrill-seeking , said Capt . Mark Bennett with the Ottawa County Sheriff 's Office . It 's not too difficult for students to figure out how to pull off such an incident , said Justin Cappos , a computer science professor at New York University who studies cybersecurity . 'You wander to the wrong parts of the Internet and you can learn how to do it and not get caught , ' Cappos said . With each incident , there 's a risk when authorities respond , said Detective Jerrad Ely , a digital forensics expert with the Mount Vernon Police Department in Washington who has been investigating a bomb threat case against a school in his community . 'They could inadvertently get hurt when police are just trying to do their jobs based on the best information that they have , ' he said . Applications such as Burnbook , Afterschool , Yik Yak , Whisper and Kik also have been used by students to make threats anonymously . In Michigan , Superintendent Timothy Stein of the Flushing Community Schools wrote to parents in December informing them about a posting on Afterschool that said , 'Bringing a Gun to School . ' The posting had been brought to the high school principal 's attention by a text message ; police quickly determined that it was not a credible threat . ' I encourage you to ask you child to stop using this app and remove it from their phone , ' Stein said . Every threat has to be taken seriously even though in most cases the called-in danger is not real , said David Pennington , superintendent of schools in Ponca City , Oklahoma , and president of the AASA School Superintendents Association . Meanwhile , social media and other electronic means of communication are keeping parents informed about threats . Mindful of past school shootings , they are demanding that children be pulled out of school even as school and law enforcement officials investigate . 'The security of people has been greatly eroded in this country , as you know , just through awful things that have happened , ' said Mark Davidson , deputy superintendent at the Federal Way Public Schools .
The Ohio-based the Ottawa County Sheriff 's Office reviewed more than 800 school threats covered in the media during the first half of the 2014-15 academic year . Researchers found that about one-third of cases involved violent remarks sent anonymously via text message , social media or other online means .