A Comal ISD Mountain Valley Middle School student was suspended today after sending a group text that “I’m blowing up the school tomorrow.”
The message included an explosion emoji, according to school Principal Angela Looney, who was notified late today of the student’s after-hours text.
She said she contacted the student’s parents, who confirmed the text message on their child’s phone.
“At this time, we do not know how many others received this message through the group text,” Looney said in an email to parents. “While the student claims this message was a joke, law enforcement has been notified of the incident. The student is immediately suspended from school while we further investigate the incident and seek appropriate disciplinary measures, which include expulsion.”
Looney said she is aware this information might be shared on social media and create undue concern among students and parents.
“Please know that the safety of students and staff at MVMS is our highest priority,” she said. “Understandably, the threat of violence on campus is a concern to all of us. With your help, we will continue our commitment to creating a safe, secure and conducive learning environment for your child.”
Her email arrived in parents’ and guardians’ inboxes at 8:01 p.m., just hours after another email went out from Comal ISD Supt. Andrew Kim at 4:37 p.m., announcing the district is cracking down on social media and will block access on its guest wi-fi network to social media sites like Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, 4Chan, 9Gag, Reddit and Triller.
From now on, district students can only access Google’s search engine.
Kim said he plans to meet with parents, teachers, administrators, staff and students about “certain specific steps we will take to reaffirm what it means to be an engaged and productive Comal ISD student.
“Please know that these steps we are taking are only one part of the equation,” he said. “While we can restrict what a student can access through our guest wi-fi, we do not control a student’s personal device nor the content that they can access using a data plan that you provide. as such, please help support our teachers by talking to your child about when it is — and is not — appropriate to access social media during school. I also encourage you to please take time to regularly check your child’s phone and what they are accessing on the internet.”
On Dec. 15, Kim warned parents to expect increased law-enforcement presence at district schools after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alerted law-enforcement agencies nationwide about viral TikTok messages threatening school shootings on Friday, Dec. 17.
His email followed several other incidents in which students also joked or implied school shootings were imminent at Danville Middle School and Davenport High School.
