North Texas school districts ask parents to help stop hoax threats

NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas) - With just weeks left in the school year police and school districts are asking parents for help stopping hoax threats on campuses.

While not uncommon as schools near holidays or summer breaks, social media threats about guns or planned shootings on campuses have expanded in recent weeks, including after the mass shooting in Allen.

Irving police said they have charged or arrested 20 students since April 1 for threat or weapons charges. Most of the crimes were misdemeanors but at least four students are facing felony charges with jail time as a possibility.

Frisco ISD produced a video with police explicitly warning students they would be taken to jail for posting things like "you'll shoot up your classroom on a Tuesday."

Robert Reeves with Irving police said some of the social media threats are originating out of state, then being edited to appear to be local.

"They're not realizing the seriousness of their actions," he said. "The police department is going to 100% going to file charges on these students."

In:
• School Threat
• Texas
• Education

Jason Allen

Jason, a Southern California native, came to North Texas after working as a reporter for four years in Orlando. He received his bachelor's degree in communication arts from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, and then began his career as a producer/reporter at Primary Focus. Jason went on to work as a reporter/anchor at KTWO-TV in Casper, Wyoming, and later as a reporter at WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

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