Threat call that closed multiple McCulloch schools originiated from South America

SAN ANGELO, Texas ( Concho Valley Homepage ) — A threat issued through a national crisis helpline that shut down two Concho Valley school districts on Sept. 9 has been discredited and revealed to have come from South America.

According to a Rochelle ISD public statement made on Sept. 8, the McCulloch County Sheriff’s Office called it during the night of Sept. 7 and informed the district that an individual who claimed to be attending Rochelle High School was allegedly having a crisis and “made a threat directed to a school.” In response to the threat, Rochelle ISD and Brady ISD, a district also in McCulloch County, canceled their activities for Sept. 9 while law enforcement conducted an investigation.

Rochelle ISD has since released an update regarding the investigation, stating that an investigation conducted by agents of the San Angelo office of the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed that the threat was “not credible” and that the call “originated from a country in South America.”

“The number of threats that schools receive continue to be on the rise across the entire state and nation,” Rochelle ISD Superintendent Matthew Fields said. “Many times, these threats do turn out to be ‘hoaxes’ or are otherwise determined to have no merit. Nonetheless, our core responsibility is to ensure the safety of our entire learning community … this will always be our core responsibility.”

DPS agents have also been inspecting Rochelle ISD’s only campus throughout Sept. 9 and plan to continue working with other law enforcement agencies to “follow up on the initial call that the crisis hotline received and any other reports of suspicious activity.”

“We have been in contact with TEA representatives that specialize in school safety,” Fields said. “We appreciate their collaborative efforts, and I know that you all appreciate them as well.”

With the threat discredited, the Rochelle ISD stated that it plans to resume school activity on Sept. 10. Additional law enforcement members will be at the campus when it reopens, and Principal Chayden Feist is expected to speak with the district’s students regarding “the importance of school safety and quickly reporting concerns to adults.”

Brady ISD likewise announced that the schools will return to normal activities on Sept. 10 in light of the investigation’s discoveries.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com.