ELLIS —Ellis Police Chief Avery Smith said Wednesday morning that the student who made the threats had been referred for intake into the juvenile justice system. The case has been referred to the Ellis County Attorney.
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By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Two angry parents appeared before the Ellis USD 388 school board meeting Monday after they said their son was targeted in a school threat on Thursday.
One of the parents, who is not being identified in this story to protect the identity of his children, said a junior high student threatened to shoot up the school and then specifically identified people he intended to target, including his son and another student.
The parent said the junior high student was temporarily removed from class but was sent back to class that day.
The parent said when his children informed him of the threats after they came home from school on Thursday, he called the police.
The parent said his children, including his son are afraid to go to school or school activities.
The parent said he kept his children home from school on Friday because of safety concerns.
The school released a statement on the incident on Monday night.
That statement is below:
Last week, there was a threat made by a student at the Jr/Sr HS. We immediately began investigating. It was determined that this threat posed no danger to students or staff.
Keeping people safe requires that we follow emergency response procedures without fail, which includes quickly notifying the law enforcement agency and working with them to determine how to protect our students and staff.
As needed, we also must take proper disciplinary action for fair and consistent consequences.
Please understand that we cannot share any details about the student involved in this situation. This is the result of both confidentiality laws and our district’s commitment to respecting the privacy of students and their families.
We sincerely regret that our communication about the incident was delayed, falling short of informing and reassuring our staff and families about the safety measures that we followed. Please accept our apology for any additional worry or stress our omission may have caused you or your family.
Please take this opportunity to talk to your student about the importance of reporting anything unusual, even if it might be a joke or hoax. Remind them if they hear or see anything, they should tell you, share with a school employee or call the police.
— Janice Wilson, superintendent
The father whose son was threatened told the school board Monday he did not think the administration had done a good job in dealing with the student in question.
He said this student had been involved in multiple incidents since grade school.
The parent alleged the student had made a previous bomb threat against the school and had thrown chairs in the classroom at other students.
The parent also alleged the student had picked on other students.
"My kids are scared to go to school," the parent said. "They shouldn't be. You have not created a safe environment by letting one individual ruin it for 20 to 30 kids every day.
"I speak on behalf of a lot of people who are not here but who I talked to throughout the day. I can't say names, but we all feel the same way."
"We have been failed by every one of you," the parent said. "It's disturbing. There are warning signs there. If we don't do something about it now, we're going to be a statistic that makes nationwide news."
He said he did not want to change schools, adding that his children are the fourth generation to attend Ellis schools. However, he said he would send his children to another school unless the school district does something more to address this situation.
Board president Randy Honas told the parent he appreciated him expressing his thoughts.
"I just want you to understand that we will proceed as best we can as quickly as we can, following all the rules and regs we need to follow," Honas said.
The parent alleged that the student was receiving special treatment because he is in the special education program.
"I was told by two separate administrators that had it been a different kid who wasn't on a program, they would have been kicked out immediately. I find that to be very disturbing," the parent said.
The parent said the student in question showed up at the basketball game on Friday night. His son called and asked to be picked up from the game because he was scared of the student.
The parent said an administrator told him the student would be placed in out-of-school suspension. He later learned that the student had been placed in in-school suspension and was back at the school.
Honas said, "We will do our best to address some of the issues you brought up. Obviously, there are certain things we can and can't do. We will get there as quick as we can."
The school board held an executive session on Monday to discuss a student issue. The board president did not say if the session pertained to the student who made the threats, and the board did not take public action after the executive session.
The Hays Post contacted the Ellis Police Department about the police report regarding the student threat. As of this post, no response has been received.