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Here’s what happens in Texas if a student threatens their school

Police stand outside Sterling High School after a student stabbed another student. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

HOUSTON – Schools across the Houston area have been dealing with a number of threats this month.

Several incidents moved beyond threats on Sept. 18, when students brought weapons to school in Houston, Spring, and Alief ISD.

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At Elsik High School, the school was placed on lockdown after a student was caught on camera brandishing a knife. At Spring High School, a gun was located on the campus. And at Sterling High School, a 17-year-old stabbed a 16-year-old. All of the students involved in these incidents were detained and will face varying charges. The Sterling High School student could be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony in Texas. If he is charged as an adult, he could face 2 to 20 years in prison, with a maximum fine of $10,000.

Bellaire High School also dealt with a bomb threat on Wednesday, and Pearland Junior High East received a shooting threat. Both turned out to be unsubstantiated, but the people involved could face a number of criminal charges.

In Channelview ISD, an 18-year-old student was arrested and charged with felony terroristic threat last week for threatening to “shoot up the school.”

Under Texas law, threatening a school is a felony offense, even if it isn’t acted upon. According to a release from the Texas Department of Public Safety, students who make threats to a school can be arrested, have a permanent criminal record, face heavy fines, and possibly go to jail.

The FBI field office in Houston put out a warning to students that they will track down anyone who posts fake threats on social media.

The FBI Houston Field Office warns students to think before they post a school threat on social media. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)

Besides the obvious threat to physical safety these threats pose, they also disrupt classes. If a threat leads to an evacuation or lockdown that disrupts the school day, students can also be charged with a Class B misdemeanor.

Officials are urging parents to closely monitor their student’s activities, both online and in public.