Police have requested the public’s assistance during an investigation of viral threats.
On Monday, a Frisco ISD high school postponed classes after social media threats over the weekend prompted safety concerns.
“There is presently no evidence to support the legitimacy of the social media threat,” wrote Lone Star High School Principal Keith Tolleson in an email to parents.
On Monday, a message was spread through the community urging parents to keep their children at home due to concerns of violence against the institution.
According to Tolleson, the district sent an email to parents early Sunday night announcing that classes would resume today, but after receiving further information about a new hazard overnight, the district canceled them.
According to authorities, the threats were first communicated in a social media post on Friday, and the second warning was delivered by email later that day. The district has scheduled an emergency meeting for this morning to discuss the situation. The school will remain closed at least through mid-May, according The Washington Post. When district officials have more information, they’ll share when schools will resume normal operations as soon as possible.
After classes resume, students will not be permitted to bring their backpacks for the whole week.
The Frisco Police Department is investigating the situation and attempting to figure out where it originated. According to school officials, there were no reported issues on Monday. “We hope that the incident will soon be resolved,” said a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department. In addition, deputies maintain a constant police presence at the school. Students began to plan to miss classes on Monday out of precaution after the first threat.
A Frisco father of three, who only wants to be identified by his first name, Zane, said he and his wife spent the early hours of this morning discussing whether they should keep their sophomore daughter and senior son off campus.
“We were leaning toward not sending them,” said Warach. “Recent events at high schools across the country have increased our concerns,” he added.
Four pupils died at Oxford High School in a rural vicinity outside of Detroit two weeks ago. In October, three students and a teacher were wounded in a school assault. A student is accused of perpetrating the crime in that case.
According to district spokesman Johnnie Wareh, school staff should have called off classes as soon as the first threat was received over the weekend. He also stated that authorities should have noted whether or not police discovered a culprit without providing a name or any information about him.
“I really wish they would be more transparent,” Warach said.
Mr. Cross, who lives with his family in a rural community in the country, said he isn’t sure if he will immediately send his kids back to school once it has been confirmed by the local police department.
Evie McKee-Stewart, another parent of a child at Lone Star, said she hopes it’s some sort of sick joke and not a genuine danger.
She is a booster club mother who is frequently seen around high school students, but she claims that the bulk of her ideas are influenced by what she learns from her daughter, who does not observe much bullying on campus.
“Even if my kid has a good experience, that doesn’t guarantee that every other kid does,” McKee-Stewart explained. “It’s devastating to realize there’s a child out there feeling so desperate that they believe this is their only solution.”
After a viral post encouraged kids to leave class and riot, the dangers in Frisco have emerged. The message spread across the country and state, with local authorities — including those in Forney, Waco, Lewisville, and Coppell — assuring families that there was no genuine danger.
The Frisco Police Department is asking anybody who might have knowledge of the social media post to call 972-292-6010 or 911. Texting the word “FriscoPD” and your information to 847-411 will allow you to submit an anonymous tip.
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