AUSTIN, Texas — Austin ISD's police chief has released a letter to families and staff after disturbing posts circulating on social media this week.
The letter comes as reports of threats, such as shootings and bombings taking place at schools across the U.S. on Dec. 17, have begun circulating on TikTok, a wildly popular social media network among teens.
In recent weeks, similar threats have led to criminal charges for the students involved.
A Hutto ISD student was arrested just last week and charged with a state jail felony of making a false report after they allegedly shared a social media post threatening violence. And a La Grange middle schooler was also charged with making a terroristic threat in regard to a TikTok post last week.
The AISD police chief's letter can be read below:
Austin ISD Families,
Austin ISD Police are monitoring social media posts of a non-specific school shooting threat on Friday, Dec. 17.
These threats in no way mention any Austin ISD school and are believed to be part of a nationwide trend. However, Austin ISD Police take all threats of violence seriously and investigate each threat thoroughly by working with local, state, and federal partners. We will have additional security measures in place tomorrow to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
We also work closely with campus administrators and counselors to keep families informed of any updates or safety concerns as the investigation continues.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen a trend of reposting messages that have no relation to our city, area or schools and many of the threats end up being hoaxes.
Please take this time to talk to your child about being responsible on social media and not sharing these threats or warnings, even as a precaution. If they see a threat on social media, report it immediately to Austin ISD Police by calling our dispatch line at 512-414-1703.
Respectfully,
Ashley A. Gonzalez
Chief of Police
Austin ISD Police Department
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