Hays CISD: 3 students arrested, charged in connection with social media threats

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A total of three students in the Hays Consolidated Independent School District were “detained and charged” in connection with social media threats circulating the district, Hays CISD said in a news release Friday.

The arrests come after several Central Texas school districts reported social media threats were spreading across platforms on Wednesday and Thursday, the district said.

Two students were arrested in connection with a threat toward Simon Middle School, Hays CISD said in the release Friday. The district said a 6th grader from Wallace Middle School was charged with the “juvenile court equivalent of a state jail felony” of making a false alarm or report.

On Friday, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office arrested another sixth-grade student from Simon Middle School. Hays CISD said in the release that student was friends with the Wallace Middle School student. The second student is facing the same charge, the district said.

Another sixth-grade student with the district was arrested after the FBI was alerted to a social media threat on Snapchat which named McCormick Middle School on Thursday night, the district said.

The FBI then alerted the sheriff’s office, which the agency “immediately acted on,” the release said. The district said the McCormick Middle School student “did not have the means” to carry out the threat but did admit to law enforcement they made the threat.

The student also said they knew of the threats circulating throughout the district earlier Thursday but did not give a reason why they made a threat of their own, the release said. The student was charged with the “juvenile court equivalent of a third-degree felony of making a terroristic threat,” according to Hays CISD.

On Thursday night, the Austin Independent School District said AISD police would increase patrols at Hill Elementary School Friday “for peace of mind” after a reported threat to the campus, which is located in west Austin, the campus principal said in a letter from the school.

Additionally, that letter said one person was arrested by Austin Police Thursday in connection with the threat toward the elementary school.

Other school districts who experienced similar social media threats included Marble Falls Independent School District and Llano Independent School District.

Sam Stark, Cora Neas and Andrew Schnitker contributed to this report

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