Police, school employees, security consultants and others say threats to schools are increasing nationwide.  They come both from local students and outsiders seeking to cause disruptions or a big emergency response.  One researcher estimates there were about eight bomb threats per school day nationwide during the 2015-16 school year, and that doesn't include other threats of violence or disruption.

Ohio is believed to be among the states with the most threats. The Associated Press tallied more than 170 there in the 2015-16 school year.

In the Connecticut General Assembly this past year, a bill to increase penalties against those under age 18 who made threats against schools failed to gain approval.  The bill was co-sponsored by Newtown Representative Mitch Bolinsky, Steve Harding of Brookfield and Bethel Representative Dan Carter.  State Senator Tony Hwang, whose district includes Newtown, was also a co-sponsor.

Testimony on that bill included an appearance by a Newtown woman who said that since the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, St. Rose of Lima experienced several phoned-in threats both to the church and the school. She recalled that Police and SWAT teams have rushed the school building yelling at students and staff to get down and that they experience all kinds of anxiety and fear that 12-14 is happening all over again.

Learning time lost to evacuations and cancellations adds up, as do the hours police spend responding and investigating.  Less measurable are the ways threats can dent staff and students' sense of security even when they're false alarms, as they almost always are.