Schools bump police presence after threat

The threats were similar to those received in Los Angeles, which prompted the superintendent to close all schools in the district on Tuesday, December 15.

Officials say bomb-sniffing dogs were brought to both schools and at 2:20 a.m. CST, Dallas police said they found no credible threat.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles School District shut down every campus after they received an e-mail threat.

Janette Sainz, a 38-year-old mother of a special needs student, said she’s thankful her son’s classes aren’t in session at Bobbie Smith Elementary School.

Outgoing Los Angeles School Superintendent Ramon Cortines, a former New York City Schools Chancellor, consulted with security officials after several school board members received the threat. Carranza says, “The threat I can say is very similar, nearly identical, to the email threat that was mailed to New York City and Los Angeles earlier in the week”. The threats had been sent to another student in a text but were directed at the entire school, according to police.

So it might not be business-as-usual for threatened schools across the country Thursday, but experts say caution is better than outright fear. The Texas district did not elaborate. In an abundance of caution, additional resources have been deployed to schools. It’s unclear whether the threats in IN are linked to those affecting schools in other states.

Before online threats that led to Danville Community School Corporation’s leaders were posted, Danville Community High School was on alert due to separate incidents of threats by students, both of whom were arrested early Thursday. Mayor Ed Lee and San Francisco public safety agencies were also monitoring the situation, according to the district.

“We have suffered too many school shootings in America to ignore these kinds of threats”, Chief Charlie Beck said.

The Franklin Community Schools south of Indianapolis issued a statement saying it canceled Friday classes after receiving a “serious” threat and consulting with police. School will take place at Danville High School tomorrow as scheduled. The district’s police department activated its emergency response protocol and began working with other law enforcement agencies to make sure the schools were safe, though no credible threat was found.

The districts targeted by Wednesday night’s threat will also remain in session Thursday.

National School Safety and Security Services, Ohio topped the list of threats followed by California, Pennsylvania, New York and Florida. Danville Police Chief William Wright said those students, a freshman and a senior are facing preliminary charges of intimidation.

Law enforcement officers were making sweeps of schools in Houston to ensure student safety.

Danville police are encouraging parents to be parents and ask their children what they know about the threats.