Texas bill looks to increase penalties for false threats against schools

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: False threats investigated by several North Texas school districts

School districts across North Texas worked overtime to reassure parents that a series of threats spreading on social media are not credible.

A recently-filed bill in the Texas Legislature looks to crack down on the increase in false threats against schools and critical public infrastructure.

House Bill 268 from State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), would make calling in a hoax threat involving public or private schools a third-degree felony.

Texas Rep. Brooks Landgraf

A court could also order a person convicted of making a false threat to pay restitution for the emergency response.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

"These acts are not harmless—they disrupt classrooms, traumatize communities, and place a financial burden on our law enforcement and emergency responders," Landgraf wrote in a news release. "This legislation has a clear objective: to deter hoax calls, protect public safety, and ensure that our emergency responders can focus on real threats, not false alarms."

MORE COVERAGE OF TEXAS LEGISLATURE

The Texas Legislature is scheduled to begin its session on January 14, 2025.