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Alaska State Troopers received a threat towards multiple LKSD schools

Law enforcement vehicles parked outside of Bethel Regional High School the morning of Sept. 26, 2023.
MaryCait Dolan / KYUK
Law enforcement vehicles parked outside of Bethel Regional High School the morning of Sept. 26, 2023.

Schools in the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) were in lockdown on Tuesday, Sept 26. This was the second time in one week where the school district had been threatened.

According to Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel, troopers received a threat to Bethel, Kwethluk, Napaskiak, and Akiak on Sept. 26 through the agency’s anonymous tips system, AKTips.

Troopers warned the district about the threat, and LKSD decided to put multiple schools into a “Stay Put" status. According to LKSD, “Stay Put” status means to shelter in place and secure the building until further notice/instructions. This action is used after a decision is made that being indoors would provide a greater level of protection to students and staff.

McDaniel said that no arrests have been made, but troopers do not believe that there is any further threat to these schools.

On Sept. 19, three school districts along the Kuskokwim River were emailed bomb threats along with at least nine other schools in the state. Law enforcement and school district officials across the state decided that those threats were not credible.

Francisco Martínezcuello was the KYUK News Reporting Fellow from November 2022 through January 2024. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley School of Journalism. He is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.