At least four Valley school districts were among those across the nation targeted by a bomb threat hoax.

Sebring, East Liverpool, Newton Falls, and Champion school officials have acknowledged receiving an email claiming to be from a foreign terrorist group stating that multiple explosives had been placed in school buildings.

 

Sebring officials believe this threat to be part of a nationwide hoax.

A statement posted on the Newton Falls Exempted Village Schools website says the Ohio Homeland Security/Terrorism Analysis Unit and the Statewide Terrorism Analysis & Crime Center, the emails appear to be part of a swatting campaign or hoaxes, with no credible threat detected.

Kate Keller of the Trumbull County Educational Service Center, says multiple schools in Trumbull County have received email threats from a group claiming to be a Russian terrorist organization. She adds that local law enforcement has been made aware of the threats, which have been deemed non-credible.

Ohio Attorney General David Yost's office confirms they are aware of the bomb threat affecting multiple schools. 

A spokesperson from the FBI office in Cleveland tells 21 News it is aware of the emails and is still assessing the severity of them.

Newton Falls, Champion, and Sebring school districts say they have swept their buildings with local law enforcement and deemed their buildings to be safe.

Classes will be in session Monday with additional safety checks being implemented throughout the day.

The FBI issued the below statement:


The FBI is aware of the numerous hoax incidents wherein a bomb threat at a school is made. The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.

Despite this, some schools say they understand if parents wish to pull their kids from school on Monday.

"We have our full-time officer on duty in the district and will continue to remain vigilant for student safety," the statement from Newton Falls reads. "However, we understand and respect the decision of parents who wish to keep their students home tomorrow due to this situation."

The threats have not just been here in the valley, similar threats have been made to schools in Parma City Schools, Akron Public Schools, North Olmsted City Schools, Twinsburg City Schools, and West Geauga Schools, according to reporting from WKYC.

This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.