BAYTOWN, Texas – Security was heightened Thursday at three local high schools and four middle schools after a threat was made on Instagram, according to police.
Goose Creek CISD said an anonymous threat posted on the social media site Wednesday night targeted several campuses in the school district. The threat apparently said the seven schools would be destroyed Thursday afternoon.
Officials searched the schools overnight and all were found to be safe. GC CISD officials sent out an alert about the threat to parents by phone Thursday morning.
They said the district's law enforcement department is investigating.
Students and parents were shaken up by the threat. Many parents picked up their kids from school Thursday afternoon. "I asked if I could call my mom and then they were like, 'No. No you can't call your parents. ...so I went to the restroom and I called her and she said she'd be here." said Damian, a student at Cedar Bayou Junior High.
Campuses included in the threat:
- Goose Creek Memorial High School
- Robert E Lee High School
- Sterling High School
- Baytown Junior School
- Gentry Junior School
- Cedar Bayou Junior School
- Highlands Junior School
The district released the following statement:
"In the early hours of the morning, Goose Creek CISD learned of an anonymous threat posted on Instagram that included a threat against several campuses. Those campuses were thoroughly searched and cleared by law enforcement. The safety and security of our campuses is always our top priority and we will not take threats of this nature lightly, although we do not believe the threat to be credible. We are working closely with law enforcement to identify the source of the post and will provide our full support to ensure the person responsible for the post is punished to the full extent of the law."
