Minnesota’s District 196 Shuts Down Multiple Schools Following Discovery of Early Morning Threatening Voicemails

Eagan police investigate threatening voicemails that forced the closure of all District 196 schools on March 17. Officials cite an abundance of caution.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 17, 2026, 8:35 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Pioneer Press

Urgent Safety Closure in Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan

District 196 officials authorized a total shutdown of all educational facilities on Tuesday morning, citing an abundance of caution in response to potential safety risks. The decision impacted thousands of students and staff across the Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Eagan communities, following a brief return to normalcy after weather-related closures the previous day. Janet Swiecichowski, the district’s communications director, confirmed that the closure was a direct response to a series of threatening communications directed at various campuses within the regional network.

Discovery of Threatening Early Morning Voicemails

The timeline of the security breach began at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, when district staff uncovered multiple voicemail messages containing threatening content. These messages were sent to several different school buildings, suggesting a coordinated effort to disrupt the academic schedule. While the exact nature of the audio recordings has not been publicly released to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, the timing of the discovery forced administrators to make a rapid decision before the start of the morning commute.

Multi-Agency Investigation Led by Eagan Police

The Eagan Police Department has assumed the lead role in the investigation, working in tandem with neighboring law enforcement jurisdictions to trace the source of the voicemails. Lt. Nate Tennessen stated in an official release that while the credibility of the threats has not been confirmed, authorities have also been unable to rule them out entirely. This state of uncertainty has prompted a high-level digital forensic search to determine whether the threats originated locally or from a remote source intended to trigger widespread panic.