UPDATE: According to the City of Bryan Police Department, the message circulated among students at Belton High School originated in Belen, New Mexico, where a student was arrested for sending the message.
Below is a joint statement from the Belton Police Department and Belton ISD.
“On Thursday, February 22, 2018, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the Belton Police Department and Belton High School administrators were notified of a social media threat and began investigating.
By 7:00 p.m., the Belton Police Department determined that the social media post was an identical post that has been shared around the Internet in multiple cities around the country and is not a legitimate threat towards Belton.
The safety and security of Belton ISD students is our highest priority and we take all threats seriously. The Belton Police Department and Belton ISD work closely to investigate any threat to campus safety.
Parents are asked to talk with their students about the seriousness of making any threat against a campus, student, or staff member in any communication form or format.”
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Anyone who makes a threatening message against a school could face a felony charge of making a terroristic threat if caught and convicted. In fact, someone found guilty of such a charge could face up to 10 years in prison.
This particular message, which circulated on social media Thursday evening, claimed a kid who was allegedly teased would get revenge Friday on other students with an AR-15. When students and parents saw the message, which referenced Belen, they assumed BHS was Belton High School and made Belton ISD aware of the threat around 6 p.m. From there, Belton ISD immediately notified the Belton Police Department, which launched an investigation.
Belton ISD had already stepped up security earlier this week after another social media post threatened violence against North Belton Middle School. No violence ever came.
Channel 6 News has been torn over how to cover these threats. We recently polled parents, who said they wanted to be informed -- but in the context of what punishments threats could bring. We've strived to add that context to our coverage.
Multiple Central school districts have been subjected to both threats and rumors in the days since the mass shooting in Florida. Channel 6 encourages parents to speak with their children about the severity of making threats and spreading rumors. If you hear of a threat, however, please call police.
