GUILDERLAND — At about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the school district here sent a notice to parents about a “non-credible statewide swatting hoax.”

“This morning, the Guilderland Central School District received a swatting threat via email stating bombs were placed in schools across the state,” the alert said. “The Guilderland Police Department was contacted immediately; they are working closely with the New York State Police Counter Terrorism Unit and have determined this to be a swatting hoax that is not credible.”

The notice also said, “Out of an abundance of caution, the district entered into a shelter-in-place so that law enforcement can work with district leaders to further investigate the threat. A shelter-in-place means students and staff remain in their classrooms until the restrictions are lifted.”

The district sent out an-all clear notice just before noon, saying that the shelter-in-place had been lifted. “All seven buildings have been reviewed by law enforcement and have been deemed secure,” the notice said. "Students and staff have resumed their regular school day.”

Last spring, several local schools as well as schools across the nation experienced swatting threats.

Although Guilderland did not receive a threat in the spring, Superintendent Marie Wiles explained at the time, “It’s essentially an approach that some very ill-intentioned people are using to create chaos through the lens of our first responders. So they initiate calls, often through a 9-1-1 center, that makes first responders jump to action because there is an alleged active shooter or bomb scare or hostage situation.”

In April, school administrators had met with Guilderland Police Chief Daniel McNally as well as the district’s two school resource officers and others to develop guidelines for responding if need be.

In May, Guilderland Police charged a 14-year-old after a swatting incident at Crossgates Mall in which a fake emergency call of a shooting in a mall parking lot was made to the Guilderland Police. At that time, Westmere Elementary School, which is about 3 miles from Crossgates Mall, was placed in a brief lockout.

On Wednesday afternoon, Albany and Bethlehem police each sent out similar releases on the same hoax.

“On Wednesday morning, The Albany City School District received an anonymous email stating there were multiple bombs in all of the Albany City Schools,” said the Albany Police release. “At this time we believe all students and staff are safe.”

The Bethlehem Police Department said that it had “responded to the report of a bomb threat within the Bethlehem Central School District. All the schools within the district were placed in lockout while the schools were checked.”

Both departments noted that similar threats were received at other schools and said their investigations were ongoing.

The governor’s office also sent out a release on Wednesday afternoon stating, “More than 10 school districts across New York have received disturbing ‘swatting’ threats today including in Western New York, the Capital Region, Central New York, Long Island, the Southern Tier and the North Country. I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school – swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers and families.”

Kathy Hochul said she had directed the New York State Police to investigate the threats and “work closely with all levels of law enforcement to identify the perpetrators, hold them accountable, and restore the sense of safety and security our children deserve.”

She also said, “The New York State Intelligence Center is also monitoring the situation and State Police are prepared to provide support and necessary resources to address credible threats.”

The term “swatting” was used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as early as 2008. The FBI  in February of that year wrote about “The New Phenomenon of ‘Swatting’,” detailing a group that had caused sports events and hotels to be evacuated because of fake bomb threats.

The FBI described swatting as “calling 9-1-1 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement — usually a SWAT team.”

A SWAT team is a Special Weapons And Tactics team called to high-risk situations.

The five swatters in the 2008 incidents were arrested by the FBI’s Dallas office, working with law-enforcement agencies in various parts of the country.

Kevin Kolbye, assistant special agent in charge of the Dallas office, when asked why the crime had been committed, said at the time, “Individuals did it for the bragging rights and ego, versus any monetary gain.”

“Basically, they did it because they could,” the FBI piece concluded.

The notice sent to Guilderland parents on Oct. 18 stressed in boldface type: “It is extremely important to note that the Guilderland Central School District was not specifically named in this email.”

Although the broad threat did not target Guilderland, the district’s notice concluded, “We want families to know the district and law enforcement are on heightened alert. In addition, staff members at all GCSD schools have been apprised of the situation. As always, we put the safety of our students and staff first. We will continue to provide you with updated information as it becomes available.”