At least two North Texas school districts have addressed what they see as credible campus threats in the past week — less than a month into the new school year.
School administrators at Solar Prep for Boys in Old East Dallas found a gun in the backpack of an elementary student before school, according to DISD communications chief Robyn Harris. The boy was flagged after a tip from another student.
"That student felt brave enough to share that they were made aware of something concerning," Harris said. “We were able to quickly react, to maintain the integrity of the school. The weapon did not make it into the classroom because of how quickly it was reported."
The unnamed student found with the weapon will be punished as the investigation continues, she said.
As a result of that incident, officials at Solar Prep for Boys on Monday began checking backpacks of every K-5 elementary student before entering the campus.
Meanwhile, students in grades 6 and up will continue going through metal detectors, maintaining district protocol for all the district’s older students. The school also planned a safety meeting Monday night at 6.
Meanwhile 30 miles northwest of Dallas, Carroll ISD warned school district families that it learned of a threat online through its STOPit reporting system. No particular campus was named, but district officials were working to uncover who made the threats.
The district said it’s cooperating with Southlake Police Department’s investigation, and increased security on each campus.
In a message posted to social media, the district said families could choose to keep their students out of class Monday.
“We completely understand if you prefer to keep your student at home today,” the post read. “Your student’s well-being is our highest priority, and we will keep you updated as we learn more throughout the investigation.”
Mass violence at Texas schools, like the shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, prompted beefed up security measures from lawmakers in previous legislative sessions. For example, armed security is now required at every school across Texas.
But lawmakers failed to fully fund the measure. That left districts like Dallas to seek waivers as they needed time to train officers and pay to hire them.
No element of toughened school safety measures included any gun restrictions like background checks, red flag warnings, or restrictions of weapons like the AR-15.
