Dallas 2017 school shooting fabricated by 2020 graduate
May 28—A story in a Kentucky newspaper published online Feb. 12 included quotes from a Dallas School District graduate claiming he survived a school shooting at the high school in 2017.
The claims of a school shooting at Dallas High School were false, resulting in the school district and Dallas Township Police Chief Doug Higgins to issue separate statements Wednesday.
"The district is aware of a video clip and accompanying article that appears to depict a former Dallas student speaking about a school shooting at Dallas in 2017. Thankfully, that never happened. The discussion on the clip about Dallas and school violence is not factually accurate. Our District Solicitor is supporting an investigation and communication regarding the circulating clip," the statement from Dallas School District says.
The statement from Dallas Township Police Chief Doug Higgins was more vocal condemning the fabricated story.
The Kentucky Lantern newspaper attributed information of a school shooting at Dallas to Calvin Polachek, a 2020 graduate of Dallas.
Polachek, who was identified as a master's student at the University of Louisville, spoke at a gun safety rally held at the Kentucky capitol building. As he spoke, Polachek claimed he was involved in a school shooting and his best friend, his brother and nine others were killed, according to the Kentucky Lantern article published Feb. 12.
The Feb. 12 article and a video clip of Polachek speaking at the Kentucky capitol rally were recently posted on Back Mountain social media sites prompting the Dallas School District and Chief Higgins to respond.
Efforts to contact Polachek were unsuccessful Wednesday morning.
The story in the Kentucky Lantern was updated Wednesday with the removal of Polachek's quotes.
Below is the statement from Chief Higgins:
The Dallas Township Police Department is aware of recent public statements made by former Dallas High School student Calvin Polachek during a February 2025, rally in Frankfort, Kentucky. The event, organized by the Kentucky chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, supported the introduction of Kentucky House Bill 214 by (Kentucky) State Representative Adam Moore, which promotes gun safety education.
At the rally, Mr. Polachek claimed that in 2017 he survived a school shooting at Dallas High School in Dallas, Pennsylvania, an incident in which he said he lost his best friend, his brother and nine others. These claims are entirely false. Nonetheless, they were reported by multiple Kentucky media outlets, including Fox 56 in Lexington and the Kentucky Lantern, and have since spread nationally across platforms such as MSN, Yahoo News, various online publications and social media.
The widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy is not only reckless, it is harmful. It fuels unnecessary fear, disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence and misleads the public with a narrative that has no basis in truth.
Let us be absolutely clear: This event never occurred.
There has never been a school shooting at Dallas High School. Not in 2017, and not at any point in our community's history.
These false claims are deeply troubling. They undermine the integrity of our school district, erode public trust, and cause real harm to a community that takes great pride in protecting its residents, especially its children.
We support the mission of those working to make schools safer. That work is vital. But effective advocacy must be built on truth. Falsely referencing a tragedy that never happened disrespects the memory of actual victims and distracts from meaningful progress.
The Dallas Township Police Department remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, public trust, and the safety of our schools. We urge the public and the media to verify facts before sharing serious allegations. Misinformation of this nature isn't just irresponsible, it has lasting consequences for the well-being of our entire community.
The people of Dallas Township deserve honesty. And we will continue to uphold the values of transparency, accountability and safety for every family who calls this community and our surrounding areas home.
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