Investigation into student threats at High School reveals no actual peril

By Miles Smith

Editor/POST-REGISTER

Lockhart ISD officials said today there had been no actual peril following an investigation into two reports about concerns of students making threats at Lockhart High School.

“In the last 24 hours, the school received two reports about student behavior potentially related to the safety of our school that warranted investigation,” said Principal Luciano Castro in a letter to parents. “In both cases, administration quickly followed protocol, including involving Lockhart Police Department, and investigated the situations.

“The investigations determined, in both cases, there was never an actual threat to safety.”

The district did not elaborate on the nature of the threat concerns.

The news from Lockhart High School comes amid a flurry of reports across Texas and the United States where students are making threats related to gun violence in the wake of the shooting in Parkland, FL, where a 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with a massacre that claimed the lives of 17 children.

Lockhart ISD’s home page has a button on it upon which students can click to report a potentially dangerous situation, the principal said

“We urge all parents to encourage your children to let us know anytime they hear or see anything that may not be safe,” Castro said. “They don’t have to worry about whether or not it is real. The administration and law enforcement will investigate each concern to determine that. Students can talk to us directly, or they can submit their concerns through the tip line.”

Castro stressed to parents the importance of talking to their children about the seriousness of false threats – especially on social media.

“While false threats may seem funny to some, they are serious to us all, and the students engaging in this will face significant consequences,” he warned.

Lockhart ISD shared a Facebook post at about 4 p.m. Wednesday informing parents and guardians of the incident, saying they’d received phone calls from parents inquiring whether there was a threat.

“Anytime the district receives a concern about a potential threat, the district works closely with Lockhart Police Department to investigate, make a determination, and when a threat is confirmed, to take immediate action, “ the post read.

To read the principal’s full letter, visit http://www.lockhartisd.org/news/what_s_new/letter_from_principal_luciano_castro_regarding_con