AUSTIN, Texas — Three Austin-area campuses were cleared after receiving threats Thursday afternoon.
Round Rock ISD said Round Rock High School (RRHS) and McNeil High School were both placed on lockdown around 3 p.m. as authorities investigated the threat. Both lockdowns were lifted about an hour later.
Meanwhile, in Austin ISD, Bowie High School was also placed into "secure" mode after officials said they received a phone call threatening the campus. Secure mode is when all campus students and staff are moved inside, which also doesn't allow anyone to leave or enter the building. The district said Bowie was in the mode for approximately 38 minutes.
Parents said they were forced to wait outside of the schools while police swept through each campus, with the only information coming from students inside.
"There were threats of there being a shooter on campus," one parent told KVUE. "And just telling me that teachers are putting desks and chairs in front of the door and they're just in a corner of the classroom. That's all we know."
A Round Rock ISD spokesperson said all students and staff were safe throughout the entire process.
"It's very scary, but I do know they have good security in places," said Ashlee Nealis, an RRHS parent. "They have practice for this, so although [it's] scary, I was confident in their abilities."
The FBI and local authorities are now investigating who made the threats. Under Texas law, school threats can lead to felony charges and possible prison time.
Lynell Sparks, the executive director of the Texas School Resource Officers Association, said schools nationwide are seeing a rise in threats and it's important for parents and teachers to teach kids the consequences.
"I think a lot of us will tell you we don't want to arrest kids for a mistake of being funny, but we also have a job to keep everyone in that building safe and to feel safe," Sparks said.
Sparks also mentioned how these threats are handled according to the district's plan and how information relayed is critical based on the situation they're dealing with.
"There's different scenarios that play every time. So not one will be the same," Sparks said. "It can be very dangerous if hundreds of parents decide to show up to the school because they want to make sure their child is safe. But again, we're trying to deal with the immediate threat at that time."
RRHS and MHS are on lockdown as Police investigate an anonymous threat. Here is a copy of the letter that parents received.
The safety and security of our students is our top priority. With that in mind, we placed our campus on lockdown at 3 p.m. while the Round Rock ISD police department investigates an alleged threat. The lockdown is still in process. All students and staff are safe and secure throughout the entire process.
In an effort to be completely transparent and keep parents and guardians fully informed, I wanted to provide these details and assure you that every precaution is in place to protect our students and staff and we continue to investigate.
Thank you for your understanding and support. I will notify you when the lockdown is lifted.
Here's what Austin ISD said about the incident at Bowie High School:
Dear Bowie High School Community,
This afternoon, we placed our campus on a Secure after we received a phone call threatening our campus. We immediately contacted Austin ISD Police, who began their investigation.
Officers determined that our campus was safe, and we released the campus from Secure after about 38 minutes. During a Secure, all students and staff are moved inside and no one may enter or leave the building. There is no credible threat to our campus at this time. Austin ISD takes all such threats seriously. Threats of any kind against our school, students or staff are not tolerated. Out of an abundance of caution, our campus SRO will remain on campus during after-school activities.
Please emphasize to your children that all such threats—made verbally or in writing—are investigated immediately. Students may be detained or arrested on a charge of making a terroristic threat, even if there was no real intent to cause harm.
If you see something, say something. Report all suspicious activity to our Austin ISD Police at 512-414-1703. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call me at 512-414-5247.
Here's what an FBI spokesperson told KVUE about the threats:
"We're working closely with our state and local law enforcement partners to address the threats and asking members of the public to maintain awareness of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement."