Austin, TX
Central Texas schools receive tips about 'terroristic threats'
Authorities address threats against schools
Police arrested a Westlake High School student accused of making terroristic threats against those at the school. And, that is not the only threat being investigated in Central Texas this week.
WESTLAKE, Texas – A Westlake High school student was arrested after police said they made terroristic threats against the school. And that’s not the only school threat being investigated in Central Texas this week.
Multiple concerning threats of violence have been made at local high schools this week.
Westlake High School says it was alerted on Sunday, Sept. 8, by several students via its anonymous tip line about a student making threats.
“We take every threat seriously. And so, we’re going to we’re going to respond quickly, regardless of how simple or how extreme the threat may be. We’re going to follow up on every single one,” said Dr. Jeff Arnett, Eanes ISD Superintendent.
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Superintendent Dr. Jeff Arnett says it came over Snapchat and was about a possible act of violence against another student or group of students.
Eanes ISD police immediately began investigating. Within just a couple of hours, they found there was some legitimacy to the threat. The student was identified and arrested.
“It was our police department acting in concert with our administration as well as the students, everybody together. It really took a community to respond to the possibility of a threat of violence,” said Superintendent Arnett.
This all comes amid growing concerns about school safety after two students and two teachers were killed at a Georgia high school last week.
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Superintendent Arnett says with the increase in violence across the nation, the safety of students is at the forefront.
“In response to what happened in another state last week, anytime we observe a tragedy like that that occurs in a school setting, it obviously raises our level of awareness and vigilance. So, we commend the students especially,” Arnett said.
Further east, the Dime Box ISD says it’s also investigating an anonymous threat that happened on Monday, Sept. 9.
The district posed on ‘X’ that law enforcement was notified. Officials say the campus is secure and students are safe.
Superintendent Arnett says Westlake High School has multiple safety protocols in place to keep children safe, like an anonymous tip line and a number of alert systems. But he stresses if you see something, say something.
“We want them to say something. And the anonymous tip line, what we call Westlake Watch is certainly one way to do that, but more importantly, to communicate with adults. So, if they feel threatened in any way, we want them to share that with us so that we can act on their behalf and make sure that everybody is kept safe,” said Arnett.
The school is not identifying the student arrested because they are a minor.