AUSTIN, Texas — An anonymous reporting system helped authorities arrest a student accused of making threats against their high school on Snapchat. He is now charged with a third-degree felony.
On Sunday, Eanes ISD superintendent Dr. Jeff Arnett sent a message to families and staff regarding the threats made against Westlake High School.
The administration was informed of these threats through Westlake Watch, an online portal that enables students to report information without revealing their identities.
Arnett said they received four anonymous tips around 9 a.m. on Sunday.
“This particular individual intended to cause harm to at least one other person, or perhaps a small group of individuals,” Arnett said. "There were enough references to the campus to indicate that this is something that the individual intended to happen at school.”
According to Arnett, they usually receive 12 to 15 tips each week, but there was enough validity to these threats to take immediate, serious action.
Eanes ISD police worked with district staff and other law enforcement agencies to investigate the threats, resulting in the students' arrest.
"In this current climate where the security of our schools is paramount, I want to acknowledge campus administrators and the Eanes ISD Police Department for their rapid response," Arnett shared in his email.
Arnett said Texas law requires that all schools have some sort of anonymous tip line. He says something they’ve been using for years has paid off, and it’s thanks to the students who used it.
“They did so quickly and responsibly, so we'd like to credit the students who did exactly what we asked them to do. If they see something, we want them to say something,” Arnett said.
While the Westlake Watch website says the site is not always monitored on non-school days, Arnett said they’ll be more vigilant after this incident.
Arnett also asked parents and guardians to teach their children about speaking up if they hear of any threats or concerning actions. The district doesn't believe there is an existing threat to the school but will be "especially observant" this week.
This threat comes less than a week after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, where two students and two teachers were shot and killed. Since the shooting, a 14-year-old boy was charged with murder as an adult, and his father was charged with second-degree murder, cruelty to children and involuntary manslaughter.
Christie Schultz, a Westlake High School parent, says it’s hard not to worry about your kids in times like these.
“You know, you always have that thought, I think, these days when you're a parent. When you drop your kids off at school, when they leave the house. You always try to say, ‘I love you,'" Schultz said.
Schultz also said she feels more assured that there are systems in place, like the Westlake Watch, to help parents, students, staff, and police collaborate to keep schools safe.
Arnett says a large part of police responding so quickly to the shooting at Apalachee High School was because of the silent panic alarm badges teachers were wearing that day. He says Eanes ISD has so much more they’d like to do in upgrading their security measures but lack the funding to do so.
“That’s what we’ve continued to ask the legislature to consider because the funding that they provide is really only 10% of the total cost that we need to provide the highly qualified staff that we have in place, who are able to respond in this situation,” Arnett said.
While Arnett said there is no price to keeping up the safety and security of staff and students, he urged legislators to pay attention in the new session.