Hoax bomb threats lock down four Fresno County high schools, all cleared safely

Four Fresno County high schools were locked down Wednesday afternoon after suspicious calls that police and school officials later determined were hoaxes, sending students, parents and officers into a fast-moving response across Fresno, Clovis and Reedley. Fresno High School, Bullard High School, Clovis High School and Reedley High School were all secured and cleared without any threat found, and no injuries were reported.

At Reedley High School, officers responded after a phone call threatened that a bomb would be placed on campus. The school stayed locked down for close to an hour while law enforcement searched the grounds, including a sheriff’s K-9 unit. Investigators found no credible threat. In Clovis, police said officers used a drone to help search Clovis High School as agencies worked through the reports coming in at nearly the same time.

Clovis Police Sgt. Sean O’Brien said departments shared information as the threats came in and treated each one as real until it could be ruled out. “We shared information with the other agencies that also received these threats today as well,” O’Brien said. That coordination helped officers move quickly from lockdowns to all-clear notices once searches turned up nothing.

Fresno Unified School District said Fresno High and Bullard High followed safety protocols. District spokesperson A.J. Kato said both campuses were among the schools affected, and both were cleared safely. FOX26 reported that Bullard High was placed under shelter-in-place while Fresno High was on lockdown. Fresno Unified also sent a message to families urging parents to check in with their children and saying student support staff were available.

The same-day wave fit a broader pattern of swatting-style threats that have hit Central Valley schools this year. Authorities said callers can use spoofed caller ID or fake phone numbers, making the threats harder to trace in the moment and forcing schools to react as if they are authentic. Officials said such calls can lead to misdemeanor or felony charges, prison time, fines and efforts to recover the cost of emergency response.

A similar hoax call in Clovis on March 9, 2026, locked down Clovis East High School, Reyburn Intermediate and Reagan Elementary for hours before police cleared the campuses. Reagan Elementary was released at 2:48 p.m. that day, and Clovis East and Reyburn were let out about 45 minutes later than normal dismissal. Wednesday’s lockdowns added another round of disruption for Fresno County families already watching a string of false threats ripple through local campuses.