School threats: Districts address rising concerns

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin ISD and several other surrounding school districts are teaming up with the Travis County District Attorney's Office to address the rising concern about school threats. 

"This is something that we are all experiencing, and it needs to stop," Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura said.

At a news conference Friday morning, officials broke down how they handle and investigate the threats along with the consequences for making or carrying out the threats. 

An increase of threats of school violence has been seen all over the country.

Hays CISD said they have arrested six students who have been charged with various felonies. Their ages range from 11 to 15.

Eanes ISD police arrested a student who made a threat over Snapchat.

The Travis County District Attorney said more than 30 cases are pending in his office, two against adults.

"If you make a threat against a school, you will be found, you will be arrested, and you will be held accountable," Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said.

Law enforcement agencies are taking different approaches to try to stop this concerning trend.

"We’re gonna come and get ya, and we’re gonna put you out for public embarrassment," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

A sheriff in Florida is releasing juveniles' names and mugshots.

"I think different leaders take on different approaches. I'm not here to embarrass a child, what I'm here, hoping to get, as all the speakers have said, and all the leaders of these other police departments will say, I will tell you is we need parents’ help to curtail this behavior and that there are real consequences if they do not," Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said.

Austin ISD said they received 30 threats just last week.

"Sometimes it’s social media, sometimes it comes to your email, but by and large, at this point, you know, we're getting this information from other students doing exactly what we want them to do. You see something, share it," Segura said.

Although most threats are not credible, law enforcement said they do investigate each one to make sure.

"We all know children have unique ways of expressing their frustrations and how they joke. This can get them in a lot of trouble," Chief Sneed said.

School officials are urging parents to talk with their children about responsible use of social media and what is appropriate for them to say and to joke about when they are in school and out of school.

"This is a community challenge that we face, and it's going to require a community wide solution in order to meet that challenge," Manor ISD Superintendent Dr. Robert Sormani said.

Mental health resources and counseling support is available at schools to help students cope with the fear and anxiety caused by these threats.

What threats were made against Hays CISD?

New threats against two Hays CISD middle schools are under investigation, according to the district.

Hays CISD told FOX 7 Austin in an email that a new threat surfaced Thursday, Sept. 19, which specifically named Chapa and Simon middle schools and is now under investigation by the Hays County Sheriff's Office.

The district has also released a poster in an effort to put an end to the threats, imploring students to avoid "threat regret" and reminding them that posting a threat on social media will get them "for real arrested, fingerprinted and booked." The poster also directs students to report circulating threats to their school, the district, and the state.

Six Hays County students, ranging in age from 11 to 15, so far have been arrested and charged with various felonies related to the threats, according to the district.

The Hays CISD threat trend began on Thursday, Sept 12, when a sixth grader was detained for spreading a school shooting threat on social media. This threat specifically named Simon Middle School.

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The next day, the sheriff's office detained another sixth grader from Wallace Middle School, who is friends with the sixth grader from Simon Middle School.

Both sixth-graders are charged with the juvenile court equivalent of a state jail felony for making a false alarm or report.

A threat on Sept. 12 that named McCormick Middle School was forwarded by Snapchat to the FBI.

A sixth grader from McCormick Middle School was charged with the juvenile court equivalent of a third-degree felony of making a terroristic threat.

Hays CISD said at the time the student did not have the means to carry out his threat, but admitted that he made one.

The district said on Sept. 19 that in all of these cases, the investigations revealed the threats did not actually place any campuses in danger.

Other threats against Central Texas school districts 

In a Facebook post on September 12, Llano ISD says it learned of a post circulating on social media regarding potential violence at schools in Johnson City, Marble Falls, Llano and Blanco.

The situation is being investigated by Llano ISD Police Department, Granite Shoals PD, Marble Falls PD, Blanco County Sheriff's Department and the Texas Rangers.

Llano ISD says one person was taken into custody and officials increased law enforcement presence on its campuses on September 13. Llano ISD was already investigating a threat made on September 11.

Marble Falls ISD also increased law enforcement presence on its campuses.

Meanwhile, Austin ISD said an arrest was made on September 12 in connection to a threat to Hill Elementary.

Recently, an Eanes ISD student was arrested after police were notified about a possible act of violence against another student or group of students. 

Superintendent Dr. Jeff Arnett says it came over Snapchat and was about a possible act of violence against another student or group of students.

Eanes ISD police immediately began investigating. Within just a couple of hours, they found there was some legitimacy to the threat. The student was identified and arrested.

Dime Box ISD also reported investigating an anonymous threat that happened on Monday, Sept. 9.