New threats against Hays CISD middle schools under investigation

New threats against two Hays CISD middle schools are under investigation, according to the district.

Hays CISD told FOX 7 Austin in an email that a new threat surfaced Thursday, Sept. 19, which specifically named Chapa and Simon middle schools and is now under investigation by the Hays County Sheriff's Office.

Due to the threats, there will be extra patrols on Thursday and Friday at the middle school campuses.

The district has also released a poster in an effort to put an end to the threats, imploring students to avoid "threat regret" and reminding them that posting a threat on social media will get them "for real arrested, fingerprinted and booked." The poster also directs students to report circulating threats to their school, the district, and the state.

"If there is a bright spot, it is our students who are reporting these threats to adults as soon as they see them online or hear them. In all but one of our cases these past two weeks, students have been the ones doing the right thing by reporting the incidents," said a letter from Hays CISD sent out Thursday.

What we know

Five Hays County students, ranging in age from 11 to 15, so far have been arrested and charged with various felonies related to the threats, according to the district.

The Hays CISD threat trend began on Thursday, Sept 12, when a sixth grader was detained for spreading a school shooting threat on social media. This threat specifically named Simon Middle School.

The next day, the sheriff's office detained another sixth grader from Wallace Middle School, who is friends with the sixth grader from Simon Middle School.

Both sixth-graders are charged with the juvenile court equivalent of a state jail felony for making a false alarm or report.

A threat on Sept. 12 that named McCormick Middle School was forwarded by Snapchat to the FBI.

A sixth grader from McCormick Middle School was charged with the juvenile court equivalent of a third-degree felony of making a terroristic threat.

Hays CISD said at the time the student did not have the means to carry out his threat, but admitted that he made one.

The district said Sept. 19 that in all of these cases, the investigations revealed the threats did not actually place any campuses in danger.

Read the full letter from Hays CISD below:

If you are concerned about this unnerving trend on social media for the past two weeks – know that you are not alone. It is taxing to law enforcement and school administration. It is upsetting to students and parents. That, of course, is why it is a serious matter that warrants serious consequences. Know that school leaders and law enforcement continue to be relentless in their duty and desire to investigate and resolve every threat.