Threat causes scare at schools

A social media post made the rounds this week claiming that there was a message on a bathroom wall threatening a shooting at a local high school.

The problem is which local high school and where the Snapchat post originated from is still in question, as the message seemed to raise concerns about Dayton, Hardin and Livingston High Schools.

The threat was said to be on a bathroom wall and was very specific, claiming a shooting would take place on Monday, Sept. 12 at 9:18 am and it started to spread over other social media platforms, causing quite a stir.

The message was first brought to school officials’ attention on Monday night, leading to an immediate sweep of schools in Dayton, where officials found no such message on any wall, according to Dayton Police Chief Derek Woods.

“There is no evidence right now to show it came from Dayton, Hardin, or Livingston,” said Woods, whose department was assisting the Harris County Pct. 6 Constables office.

That office works to provide law enforcement at DISD.

“Dayton ISD officers and Administrators have been investigating the threat of violence at a high school. There has not been any credible evidence to indicate that there was ever a threat to Dayton High School students or staff. There are many unsubstantiated rumors regarding this social media threat,” said a statement from DISD.

Those unsubstantiated rumors appear to have included a post from Livingston ISD where law enforcement and school officials were on high alert Monday.

“At 8:00 pm last night, a viral “Snapchat” threat was sent through social media. After investigation, it is believed the actual post was generated from the Dayton, Texas, area and the Dayton Police Department has a person of interest that is being investigated behind the incident. The post has been removed from social media, and there is no information that this was ever a threat targeting Livingston ISD,” said a Facebook post.

Those rumors were dispelled by late Monday afternoon by Woods.

“ We don’t have any suspects and we are taking all necessary precautions,” said Woods.

He believed there was confusion as local law enforcement first investigated the situation.

The same message also caused some stir in the Hardin community.

According to Woods, officials with the FBI and DPS were looking into the social media post, trying to backtrack it.

“Parents, please continue to have conversations with your children about making smart decisions and using social media in a responsible manner,” the DISD statement concluded.