THORNDALE — A threat made on the social media app Snapchat caused the closure of all of the campuses in the Thorndale Independent School District Sept. 14.
“Law enforcement came through this morning and helped us clear all of our buildings, and they helped us track down the person who had made a threat,” Adam Ivy, superintendent for Thorndale Independent School District, said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We know who that is. It’s not one of our students, but it is being addressed by police, so we are cleared to use our buildings again even though we are not going back today we will be going back tomorrow.”
Police Chief Scott Roberson confirmed in a subsequent interview that the threat did not involve a gun, and that the individual identified was not a student in the school district.
“Apparently late last night there was some sort of message sent on the Snapchat,” Roberson said. “But when the Snapchat was read, there was a general threat made to the school, like something bad was going to happen, you shouldn’t show up. The school thought it was in the best interest to stay closed for the safety of the students until we figured out who and what was involved, and the likelihood of anything being carried out.”
Roberson said a number of law enforcement agencies, including Department of Public Safety and the Milam County Sheriff’s Office, cooperated to identify the suspect and address the seriousness of the threat.
“DPS was instrumental, using technologies to help do some technical researching, and Milam County Sheriff’s Office came out to help secure the school grounds and conduct a search of anything that was suspicious or out of place,” Roberson said. “And DPS brought in bomb sniffing dogs.”
Although the threat was unfounded, the school district’s caution was warranted, Roberson said.
“There wasn’t really much to it when all was said and done,” Roberson added. “We are glad that it ended the way it did, and that there was no threat, but until you determine that there was no real threat, you have got to treat it like it’s real, just to be on the safe side. We have to keep the students safe.” In a letter addressed to parents Wednesday, Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Devin Padavil said that officials were monitoring the situation and cautioned guardians to pay attention to the social media posts their children are sharing.
“If you have a student in school that has a cell phone, please take a moment to remind your child that any threat found on social media will be taken seriously and will result in discipline and legal consequences,” Padavil wrote. “As I do with my own teenage children, I encourage you to check your student’s social media and make sure they are being responsible.”
“ Any threat found on social media will be taken seriously and will result in discipline and legal consequences.”
— Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Devin Padavil
