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.
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.