by KIM HILSENBECK
With many parents already uneasy about school security, a recent email from Dahlstrom Middle School Principal R.B. Treviño may have added to those fears.
Hays CISD spokesperson Tim Savoy said a rumor about a threat to the school is just that – a rumor. In a posting last week on the district’s Facebook page, he wrote:
“We got some calls today and more tonight about a rumor of a threat to the school for this Friday. The short answer is that there is no threat to the campus. We know many of you are concerned, so we wanted to give you a little more information. We can’t say too much because this involves the personal situation of a single student. We can say we know what triggered the rumor and - without a doubt - we know no threat was made to the campus, staff or its student population.”
He also thanked the parents who contacted the school and the administration headquarters.
“It takes everyone’s eyes and ears to ensure school safety. Fortunately, in this case, everything is OK,” he said.
In a follow-up interview, Savoy referred to an incident last year at Hays High School where students were able to warn campus administrators about a potential threat from a student.
“Students are doing their part in keeping our schools safe,” he said.
Treviño wrote to parents in a January 30 email that school officials received a report of graffiti in a restroom the previous week. He said the incident was immediately investigated.
A portion of Trevino’s email follows:
“This letter is to inform you of a rumor that has come to our attention and has been circulated on our campus.”
“Administration received a report of graffiti in a restroom on our campus last week. After receiving this information, an immediate investigation uncovered the student who was responsible and the appropriate actions were taken regarding this isolated incident. At no time was there any mention of violence towards students. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority every day. Please be assured that there has been no threat made to Dahlstrom students or staff.”
A seventh grade Dahlstrom student, whose parents requested her name be withheld, said she heard about the incident from another student on the bus.
“When I got on the bus, a girl said someone left a note in the bathroom saying they were going to shoot everyone at Dahlstrom and then commit suicide,” she said.
She said no one knew who the student was who had left the note. She also said it didn’t seem to cause much alarm among her friends and other students at the school.
The girl couldn’t say how the other student knew what was written.
“Everyone was like, ‘I bet it was one of those annoying eighth graders who think they know everything,’” she said.
Savoy likened the situation to a game children play called “pass it down the alley,” also known as “the telephone game.”
“One person starts the saying and they pass it along to the next person, who tells the next person and so on,” he said. “By the time it gets to the eighth person, it’s completely distorted.”
The student said her fellow classmates do not seem very concerned about school safety but the teachers do. She said they are very strict about making sure the doors are locked.
Overall, she said she feels very safe at school and is not worried about the potential for a student to carry out a threat.
She said there are a couple of kids at school who may raise red flags in terms of their behavior, “but it’s not like they are crazy.”
