AUSTIN, Texas — Classes at Travis Early College High School in South Austin have been canceled through Friday following a death on campus early Thursday morning.
Austin ISD (AISD) said on social media that classes had been canceled for Thursday, Aug. 17, because of "an incident on the Travis ECHS campus." The district did not initially provide any additional information about the incident, but law enforcement officials later confirmed that a female victim was pronounced dead on the campus early Thursday morning.
The Austin Police Department (APD) said that at around 7:39 a.m., an Austin ISD Police Department officer was doing a close patrol of the campus when two employees flagged them down, indicating they had found a female's body on the rear side of the campus. The officer notified APD dispatch.
Shortly after, the campus was secured as a precaution while a crime scene was established. Just before 7:50 a.m., Austin Fire Department crews and Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) medics arrived on the scene.
At 7:55 a.m., Dr. Mark Escott, chief medical officer for ATCEMS, made a deceased on scene pronouncement for the person who's body had been found.
At 8:30 a.m., a decision was made to cancel classes at Travis Early College High School because the crime scene was active and could have disrupted students' learning. There was no imminent danger to students or staff.
Police said staff and some students were arriving on the campus as the investigation began to unfold, but there were never any students near the area where the body was found. APD said AISD staff worked quickly to ensure students were not exposed.
In its initial communications, AISD said students who were already on buses would be returned home, and the district was coordinating transportation home for students who were already on campus.
APD said the deceased person was an 11th grader at the school. The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office will determine a cause of death.
Classes have been canceled again on Friday. Per AISD protocol, AISD will provide emotional support to students and staff in the coming days.
“Right now, our focus is in supporting our students and our staff. Many of us are hurting and really just wanting to figure out how to support them better. Today has been a challenge for all of us," Seguara said, adding, "In the next couple of hours, we’ll begin to work through what it will look tomorrow [Friday] as we support staff and students and welcome them back to AISD at some point in the future. Those plans have not been finalized."
Kyler Shumway is a former school counselor, a licensed psychologist and the chief clinical officer for Deep Eddy Psychotherapy, which deals with patients three and up. He said incidents like these can be very traumatic experiences.
"Anytime there is something like this that happens in a school community, it has ripple effects across everyone, whether you are a classmate, a teacher or a community member," Shumway said.
He said it's important to have mental health experts on campus.
"Not only is this providing support for grief and coping with the stress of whatever might be going on, [it] is critical to be able to notice if someone is having a severe reaction to what is happening. Maybe other things, maybe going on with this person, may require more specialized care," Shumway said.
Shumway said it’s also important for parents to have open communication with their children.
"It is ok to be feeling what your feeling – it's part of being human. We are all hardwired for connections, so everyone is going to be feeling different things. That's perfectly okay, creating space for that, allowing for there to be a conversation," Shumway said.
Seguara said the district is looking to get input from licensed mental health care professionals before it makes a final decision on when students and staff will return.
AISD said that Travis ECHS students will return to school on Monday, Aug. 21, exactly one week after classes returned from summer break. Counselors will be available for students, staff and families.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health assistance, you can reach a trained crisis counselor by calling or texting 988.