Dallas school threat prompts investigation as officials warn of hoax consequences
DALLAS - Dallas Independent School District’s police department is investigating a threat to J.L Long Middle School.
The school district confirmed the investigations and a police presence at the school in the White Rock neighborhood of Dallas on Thursday morning.
The district said it follows a trend many school districts in Texas have noticed this week, with an overwhelmingly high number of unconfirmed claims circulating on social media.
Dallas ISD expects this won’t be the last claim it investigates this week.
District leaders are encouraging parents to talk to their children about the real consequences of posting fake claims online.
On Wednesday, the Duncanville school district held a news conference to try to bring attention to the problem of hoax school threats.
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Fake online threats causing real problems across North Texas schools
Police tell FOX 4 the threats are mostly fake, copied and pasted from similar threats. However, it’s enough to keep campuses on alert. They say it's a growing trend sweeping across North Texas and the state.
"I wouldn’t say it’s an increase or decrease. I believe we are just more aware of it," said Duncanville ISD Police Chief Mitchell Lambert. "Nothing directly toward Duncanville ISD. Now, the threats we are receiving are being recycled throughout local communities. It’s basically copy and paste at this point."
Kemp ISD in Kaufman County was forced to close all schools on Wednesday after being notified about a threat late Tuesday night. The district said it was a precaution because there was not enough time to investigate the claim before the start of the school day.
"Even though they are threats and even though they can be a hoax, there are serious consequences that come with these threats," Fort Worth PD Officer Jimmy Pollozani explained on Good Day. "For example, a terroristic threat is a Class B misdemeanor. It’s a $2,000 fine and 180 days of jail. So, the threat is serious, and so is the jail time."
Police: Fake school threats have real consequences
Police across North Texas are seeing a rise in school threats. It's causing problems at several schools and even prompted one local school district to close for the day. Officer Jimmy Pollozani from the Fort Worth Police Department explains that fake threats can lead to serious consequences for those responsible.
Pollozani said it’s important for students and parents to report threats to police or campus administrators if they see them. However, reposting or sharing messages only makes the problem worse.
"If you see something, say something. And that’s all we want people to do here. And that goes for the parents and the students. We don’t want them to perpetuate the problem by sharing it on Instagram or TikTok or Facebook or whatever," he said.