ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Abilene and Wylie ISDs are both dealing with an outbreak of rumors on social media of school threats in the area. Wednesday afternoon, the Abilene Police Department (APD) also wrote a statement in response to the rumor.
Wylie ISD released their statement on the issue Tuesday night, saying that police investigated alleged threats directed toward the Wylie West Junior High campus and determined they were not credible.
Abilene police said it worked cooperatively with the schools to identify the threat, and officers also deemed it to not be credible. Police included that the alleged threat was specific to Bay City, and not the Abilene area.
School officials are now reminding students and parents that, “threats of this nature are against the District Code of Conduct and can legally be considered a terroristic threat.”
Abilene High School Principal Emme Siburt says that Abilene ISD is also dealing with rumors of threats at multiple AISD campuses, which were investigated and found to be not credible.
Siburt says schools and districts across Texas are dealing with similar threats.
“I want to assure you that our campus is secure and our students and staff are safely proceeding with our normal school day,” Siburt says.
Read the full messages from APD, and Abilene and Wylie ISDs below:
Abilene Police Department:
The Abilene Police Department School Resource Officer at Wylie was made aware of an apparent online threat to the Junior High. School administrators and the Police Department worked cooperatively to identify the threat and investigate the threat. The Police Department discovered that this threat was originally made to another school district outside of the Abilene area, and thus had nothing to do with any school in Abilene. This threat was specific to Bay City.
There is no credible threat to a school district in Abilene. The Department encourages students and faculty to say something if they see something. We thank the administration of Wylie and Abilene ISD for their cooperation.
Abilene ISD:
Good morning Abilene High families, this is Principal Emme Siburt. Campus and district administrators are aware of rapidly spreading social media posts containing rumors of school threats. A thorough investigation by the AISD Safety Team and the Abilene Police Department has determined that there is no active or credible threat against any AISD campus. These posts are also currently circulating in other school communities in Texas, and those individuals who originated the posts have been identified and secured by law enforcement. I want to assure you that our campus is secure and our students and staff are safely proceeding with our normal school day. We take all rumors of threats extremely seriously and will continue to diligently investigate any possible threat to ensure the safety of our schools. If you have any concerns, please call our office. Thank you.
Wylie ISD:
Wylie ISD families,
We would like to address a rumor that is circulating about
a supposed safety threat that was made at Wylie West
Junior High through a student social media account.
Wylie administration and the Abilene Police Department
have taken the proper procedures to thoroughly
investigate and have found that there is no credible threat
to our school and proper disciplinary measures have
been taken.
Wylie ISD is committed to the safety of our students and
we take all rumors of harm to our students seriously. We
understand situations such as this are concerning to
parents, students and the community and we want you to
be aware that the administration at Wylie ISD has
exercised extreme diligence and taken all proper action
required by law to investigate and complete the threat
assessment protocols that our district already has in
place.
Threats of this nature are against the District Code of
Conduct and can legally be considered a terroristic
threat. Please take a moment to discuss this issue with
your child. These types of terroristic threats have no
place in our school or community and there are serious
consequences for making such threats.
A lesson that we try to reinforce with our students is to be
vigilant and to SAY SOMETHING if they SEE or HEAR
something that concerns them. The safety and security of
our students and staff is our top priority and we are fully
committed to work each day to ensure a safe
environment for our campuses.
-Wylie Independent School District
