Area schools delay classes, up security as threats of violence circulate online

Alex Driggars, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

May 10, 2023 at 5:21 PM·3 min read

LOCKNEY — Area school districts were on high alert Wednesday as threats of school violence circulate widely on social media.

Lockney ISD delayed classes until 10 a.m. Wednesday due to a social media threat, and other districts around the area — including Olton, Levelland and Clovis — took action to secure their campuses.

The delay was intended to give the Floyd County Sheriff's Office time to increase security at Lockney schools before students arrive, the district announced early Wednesday morning.

"This delay is to allow the Sheriff’s Department to investigate an online threat that was posted to social media. It will also allow the Sheriff’s Department to make arrangements for greater law enforcement presence on LISD campuses," the district's statement reads. "Anyone with information regarding the source of the threat should contact the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department immediately."

The Floyd County Sheriff's Office later confirmed in its own statement one juvenile is in custody as the investigation continues.

Lockney ISD delayed classes until 10 a.m. Wednesday due to a social media threat.

Olton ISD responded to a similar threat Wednesday, locking exterior doors and placing the district's security personnel on heightened alert.

"Today, we received a report of a school shooting (threat) that was directed at Olton High School and Plainview High School. The report came from someone that saw the threat on social media," reads an OISD statement posted Wednesday morning. "Police and the guardian team have been alerted and the district has been placed on a lockout. Only parents and guardians will be allowed to pick up students."

Plainview ISD, which resumed classes Wednesday after canceling Monday and Tuesday citing threats in the midst of a national controversy, said in an overnight statement they would continue for the rest of the year with the additional security measures they already planned as school shooting threats circulate "throughout various states in the Southwestern United States."

Plainview police later announced a juvenile was arrested in Floyd County related to the Wednesday threats to Plainview ISD. The Floyd County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Avalanche-Journal the individual arrested in connection to the Plainview incident is the same person arrested for allegedly threatening Lockney ISD Wednesday.

Levelland and Littlefield authorities, as well as Clovis Municipal Schools in New Mexico, also announced they were investigating what the Clovis school system called a "viral, nationwide threat," but would continue with class as normal.

Elsewhere in New Mexico, Portales and Roswell officials said they were made aware of threats and increased police presence at local schools.

More: Palo Duro High School student arrested after gun found on campus

In an email to area law enforcement agencies Wednesday, the FBI acknowledged they are aware of threats circulating online and are working to assess their merits.

"In regard to the potential threat of a school shooting that is being disseminated via Snapchat and other social media platforms, we want to let you all know that we are aware and take the threat very seriously," the email reads. "We are working diligently alongside other law enforcement agencies and other FBI offices to assess the potential threat to identify its origin."

Student arrested after gun found at Palo Duro High

On Wednesday afternoon, Amarillo police announced a 15-year-old student was arrested at Palo Duro High School after police said he brought a gun onto campus.

The Amarillo Globe-News reports PDHS officials received a tip that a student brought a gun to school, placing the campus in a hold protocol. The student did not have a gun on his person, but the weapon was later located in the school.

The student was arrested on charges of unlawfully carrying in a weapon-free zone and tampering with a serial number.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Area schools delay classes, up security as threats circulate online

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Student arrested after gun found at Palo Duro High

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