ODESSA, Texas — Bowie Middle School parents picked up students on October 4 after threats of a shooting began to circulate.
ECISD says Bowie was never on lockdown, but the police were looking into an unsubstantiated Snapchat threat.
According to ECISD, a student reported the Snapchat threat, but the account had no profile and officers were unable to connect the post to anyone.
Extra police officers were brought to the campus, and the investigation is still underway. If the person responsible for the threat is found, ECISD says they will face criminal charges.
Parents expressed frustration that they were not notified about the situation, but ECISD says due to the sheer number of anonymous threats made each year they are unable to send notices to unsubstantiated threats.
"We have found through experience that kids typically make these kinds of social media threats in order to have school stopped and we have found that when given a lot of attention the threats continue and, often, increase in frequency," said ECISD spokesperson Mike Adkins.
Even if there is no notice to parents, however, ECISD says they take all threats seriously and police are always fully engaged with these investigations.
Additionally, if there is any credibility to a threat, ECISD says they will be sure to notify parents as soon as possible.
"The safety of schools and offices is our top priority. We want to thank the student who came forward with this information. We will continue to emphasize, the idea “if you see something, say something.” This is the first line of defense in keeping us all safe. We also want to thank our ECISD officers, the Bowie staff, the students and parents for their patience during the day," said ECISD in a statement.