Police, school officials investigating threat at high school
Breckenridge police and school officials are investigating a threatening message found at Breckenridge High School this morning, Thursday, Dec. 6, and local law enforcement have stepped up security measures at the school.
According to Breckenridge Independent School District Superintendent Tim Seymore, the terroristic threat was found scribbled on the wall of a bathroom and reported to the high school principal.
“The threat was specifically made for tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 7), so we will keep (the increased police presence) through tomorrow,” he said.
The Breckenridge Police Department and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office were called after the note was found. The BPD is investigating the incident and is providing security with extra officers put on duty at the high school, said Police Chief Larry Mahan.
“I’ve called in some off-duty officers to keep an eye on the school, and they’ll be there again tomorrow,” Mahan said.
Seymore said specific security measures, such as checking backpacks, etc., would be up to the principals at each campus. “But, we are being much more diligent with eyes-on and that kind of thing,” he said.
School personnel and a BPD detective are reviewing footage from school security cameras, and school officials have been talking to students.
“At this point, we have not found anyone who has said they know or admitted to doing it,” Seymore said about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. “We have not been able to identify who it was, at this point.”
Officials are not releasing the exact wording of the threat or the specific location in which it was found, because such information may be used to help identify a suspect.
On Thursday afternoon, Seymore said Friday’s classes have not been canceled. If the situation changes and classes are canceled, Seymore said, the information will be posted immediately on the BISD Facebook page.
However, some parents have chosen to check their children out of school, Seymore said. And, several parents have made comments on Facebook that they do not intend to send their kids to school on Friday. Seymore said that despite the fact that the threat was made specifically against the high school, some parents at all of the district’s schools have withdrawn their children as a precaution.
The annual Breckenridge Lions Club Basketball Tournament is going on through Saturday, and all of the schools have been notified about the situation, Mahan said.
Seymore issued a couple of statements on the BISD Facebook page, saying, “We will continue to investigate and take precautions going forward. We always take these threats seriously, but are mindful that threats are more likely repeated when they cause a disruption. Maintaining normalcy, while increasing security, is generally the best course. … Thank you for your understanding as we take every precaution to keep our kids safe.”
Both the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and the Breckenridge Police Department (top photo) have had an increased presence at Breckenridge High School in response to a terroristic threat found at the school this morning. (Photos by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
