Recently, schools throughout the nation have witnessed an increase in school threats — and Hays CISD is no different. Within the past month, six students have been arrested by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office for threats made against campuses within the district.

Since Sept. 11, there have been threats of gun violence against Simon Middle School, McCormick Middle School, Chapa Middle School and Johnson High School from students ages 11-14, with arrests in the juvenile court equivalent to making false alarms, terroristic threats and lying to investigators.

In all but one of the cases, which was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigations by the social media app Snapchat, students were the reporters of the threats.

According to HCSO Deputy Anthony Hipolito, each student will go through the judicial process and have their day in court to find out whether they are innocent or guilty. Until then, the school district will act in accordance with the Texas Education Code (TEC), said Hays CISD Head of Safety & Security Jeri Skrocki.

“I know how we all react and I know how we all want [the punishment] to end up, but the education code tells us something very different,” said Skrocki.

Most offenses are listed in the education code, she explained, but some, such as TEC 37.125, exhibition, use or threat of exhibition or use of firearms, are not listed on the discipline chart. So, because this specific charge is involved in multiple of these cases, the school district will have to receive more information from the sheriff’s office to see if it meets the criteria of another offense, such as terroristic threat, which is on the discipline list, said Skrocki.

Skrocki noted that she has seen the discourse online, oftentimes with individuals stating that the student should not be allowed back on campus or that they should be expelled, while others will state that everyone makes mistakes.

“We want to rehabilitate our kids.

We want to believe that they have 100% made a mistake that they’re going to learn from … So, you want to acclimate them back in a routine,” the department head explained, “It’s that fine line between holding you responsible and there’s consequences for your behavior, but at the same time, it doesn’t create your identity for the rest of your life.”

Hipolito noted that many of these children simply are not understanding that these threats are taken seriously each time and because of that, have serious results: “Social media probably has a big part in trends that we’ve seen over the last several years and these threats are getting a lot of attention. I think maybe kids are seeing it, thinking it’s funny and are almost making a joke out of it … We have to stop what’s going on. It’s happening way too often and so, we’re going to continue to file appropriate charges.”

Although there are threats and investigations every school year, the deputy also said that he’s not aware of this gun violence threat being present last school year, to which Skrocki agreed, stating that in her time, she has never seen the amount of threats that have occurred this school year to this degree.

“Parents, specifically, need to know that they need to have those conversations with their kids because it has to stop and we have to work together to ensure that our kids understand the importance of not doing it,” stressed Hipolito. “It takes a village.”

Along with parents educating their children, Hays CISD is implementing a Threat Regret program at the secondary schools.

Skrocki explained that this will focus on what happens after a threat is made to convey how dire the consequences are, as many students do not think past what happens after the initial threat is made.

She also emphasized how draining these threats are for the community as a whole.

Referring to the recent school shooting threat at San Marcos High School, she stated that no one at that age should have to see officers with long guns entering their school. Not only does this use resources and disrupt classes, but it also causes immense anxiety to students and staff.

As of now, Hays CISD is not planning on changing any routines to safety standards, but will instead continue to work on the protocols in place. “We have a very strong, robust system in place.

We require classroom doors to be locked and closed at all times when students are present.

Not all districts do that.

It’s not required by law, but this district does it,” Skrocki said.

When asked about the recent Apalachee High School shooting that occurred in Georgia by a student who was previously investigated by authorities for making threats the year prior, Skrocki said that she believes the Texas Legislature and local authorities are working to ensure this incident is not repeated.

In relation to policies, procedures and measures for school safety and mental health in public schools, the 86th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 11, which required a Threat Assessment and Safe and Supportive School Program and Team.

According to the bill, the board of trustees at each school formed this team and are required to conduct a threat assessment that includes “assessing and reporting individuals who make threats of violence or exhibit harmful, threatening or violent behavior in accordance with the policies and procedures … and gathering and analyzing data to determine the level of risk and appropriate intervention.”

Years after the implementation of this team and threat assessment, the 88th Texas Legislature passed another bill, also titled Senate Bill 11, that amended TEC Chapter 25 Admission, Transfer and Attendance. Section 25.002(a) now included that “a copy of the child’s disciplinary record and any threat assessment” must be given to the new school district.

“I think we’re seeing more and more accountability to the school districts and I 100% appreciate that requirement. I think it is going to help us catch the needs of some kids who may leave a district,” Skrocki said. “We need to follow them, so that we can put together a success plan for them. We need to stay dialed in; we need to stay in tune with them.”

Looking ahead to what students can do to ensure their school is safe — as in the majority of these cases, students were reporters of the threats — Skrocki said that “do something” should be added to the phrase that law enforcement officials say often in these situations: “See something, say something.”

“You have to make sure, if you’re saying something, are you saying it to the right person? If you’re just reposting it to your buddy [from class] or putting it on Facebook and saying, ‘My kid saw this today ‘ or ‘I can’t believe this. Why isn’t the school sending anything out.’ Does the school even know about it? Does law enforcement even know about it?” asked Skrocki.

If a student or parent hears anything that could be of importance, both Hipolito and Skrocki strongly encourage the community to make a report on www.iwatch. org or contact Hays County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800324-TIPS (8477) or to submit a tip online at www.CallCrimeStoppers. com or by using the P3 Tips app on your smartphone.

Do not wait until the morning to tell a school resource officer, emphasized the department head, as there are law enforcement agents available 24/7 to begin an investigation immediately.

“Somebody who’s intent on doing bad things is going to find a way to do bad things and I’m realistic enough to know that. Sometimes it’s, ‘We’re going to do everything we can to prevent.’ If we can’t prevent, and we can’t make promises that we can prevent every day or every time, but what we can do is we can make our concerted efforts to mitigate and then respond appropriately when something does happen,” concluded Skrocki.