The Hays County Sheriff’s Office arrested a sixth-grade student on Thursday for allegedly helping spread school shooting threats on social media, according to the Hays school district. The student has been charged with making a false alarm, which is treated like a state jail felony in the Texas juvenile justice system.
Hays school officials stated that they don’t believe there is an actual threat to any campus.
This incident is one of several threats shared on social media across Texas this week, causing many school districts to increase security.
Hays district officials and local law enforcement started investigating the threats around 9 p.m. on Wednesday after a concerned parent reported them. One threat mentioned Simon Middle School.
Parents were informed through two emails on Thursday about the investigation.
The district’s spokesman, Tim Savoy, said the threat likely came from the same vague threats circulating in other parts of Texas and the country. He reassured parents that, while such posts are too common, the district takes every threat seriously and prioritizes safety.
Other districts in Texas faced similar situations this week. For example, Marble Falls school officials learned about non-specific threats, though none of them directly targeted their campuses.
In response to the statewide online threats, Houston and North Texas schools increased security.
In San Antonio, a 12-year-old student was arrested this week for threatening violence at seven campuses, and earlier this week, a Westlake High School student was arrested for making threats through Snapchat.
The Texas Education Agency has been working with school districts that received direct threats, offering support and maintaining communication.
These threats come a week after a tragic school shooting in Georgia, where two children and two adults were killed. A 14-year-old has been charged with four counts of murder, and his father faces charges related to the deaths.