ELGIN, Texas — Elgin ISD's superintendent says that claims on social media of weapons on the Elgin High School campus Monday and Tuesday are false.
Superintendent Jane Rueter addressed the "incidents" at the school on those days in an email, saying that social media posts about the incidents "have been highly embellished and are not based on the actual facts of the occurrences."
Rueter said the district is aware that students have come forward saying they witnessed seeing or being told about a knife during a fight Monday, as well as some students saying there was a gun or the threat of a gun Monday and Tuesday. The district said there have also been rumors on social media that a student threatened to shoot other students at school.
According to Rueter, every allegation and report has been thoroughly investigated by both school officials and law enforcement. Each claim has been found to be untrue, or the student has recanted their statement.
Rueter also stated that "previous email and phone communication from the campus regarding the incidents have been completely accurate and factual," addressing some allegations on social media that the district was not properly informing the community.
"We, as a community, must find a way to work together and know that social media is not where the valid truth is," Rueter said.
Rueter said that Elgin ISD uses camera surveillance throughout schools to check the accuracy of claims and conduct full investigations. District officials and law enforcement throughouly examined "every possible video angle in our hallways," as well as student cellphone videos, and found that "there was never an indication of any weapon throughout any of these incidents."
Rueter also said that district officials have seen pictures circulating of a student who was injured during the fight. Rueter said "the student was injured by their own actions during the incident," and administrators were with the student "the entire window of time of the sustained injury." No weapon was present at any time, according to Rueter.
Rueter also noted that the fire alarm panel at Elgin High School malfunctioned on both Monday and Tuesday. Officials reviewed surveillance video and confirmed that no pull station was every pulled. That panel and sensors will be repaired or replaced, according to Rueter.
"I cannot stress enough how sorry I am that these events have happened in our high school ... The challenges we are facing do not define the wonderful students at Elgin High School who are making excellent choices and focusing on their education every single day," Rueter said. "I appreciate the students who have come forward with reports, and I am very relieved that I can say that there have been no weapons and no substantiated threats."