Lockhart ISD changes notification protocols following school threats

LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) -- The Lockhart Independent School District has changed the notification protocol of its crisis response strategy following what it calls a "gap in the notification procedure" relating to threats made to Lockhart High School Thursday.

Lockhart High School was temporarily locked down Thursday afternoon due to reports of a threat, which the Lockhart Police Department ultimately deemed noncredible.

According to Lockhart ISD, a screenshot of a text containing "vague details" of a threat from an unidentifiable source circulated among students Thursday, which prompted the administration to call the lockdown.

The district said no student was hurt or injured.

The district also investigated a separate social media post containing vague messaging from an unidentifiable source Thursday evening. Lockhart PD also deemed this report noncredible.

The district said as soon as the lockdown was initiated Thursday, the Lockhart Police Department was notified, and the district began contacting all Lockhart High School families. Nearby campuses Clear Fork Elementary, Navarro Elementary and the Cub House were placed in "secure" status -- meaning operations remained normal, but students and staff stayed inside, and no one was allowed in or out of the building -- out of an abundance of caution, as well.

New notification protocol

Lockhart ISD said it reviewed its crisis response strategies Thursday evening and "recognized a gap in the notification procedure." It said Clear Fork, Navarro, and Cub House families did not receive direct notification of the schools' secure status. The district said from now on, all campuses will receive texts, calls, and emails whenever they are placed in any safety
response protocol - not just for a lockdown.

Parents can utilize the “ALERT LISD” feature on the lockhartisd.org website to report a potential threat.

Starting Friday, the Lockhart PD will station officers on and around
campuses. Additionally, the Lion Guard – a program consisting of parents and community
volunteers similar to Watch D.O.G.S. – will serve as an extra set of eyes and ears at our schools
in the coming weeks. Parents can volunteer for the Lion Guard to serve as safety monitors at school campuses.

The district said it decided not to cancel school Friday, stating "When it is safe to come to school, we must do so, and we are confident that our schools are safe." It also noted that canceling school for noncredible and vague threats increases the chances of others
copycatting such behavior and continuing the types of incidents that led to the lockdown.

'I was so scared'

It's a text no parent ever wants to receive. One mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her daughter is a student at Lockhart High School.

"My husband's telling her to stay calm. I'm letting her know I'm on my way. She said I can't, I'm shaking," the woman said.

She said her daughter let her know immediately that they went into lockdown.

"Just told her that we love her," the woman said. "I was so scared and I was crying. She goes on to tell us that she's in a dark room. They're putting bookshelves in front of the door. Her teacher has a glass breaker."

The mother said she immediately left work and sped to the school.

"They had a few roads barricaded off already. I saw all the parents they were standing outside their cars," she said. "There were so many police officers."

The mother agreed with the district's new notification protocol but she doesn't believe that it is enough.

She said lockdowns seem to be more frequent and she worries about the overall safety for her daughter.

"Every day, I'm scared," the mother said. "I drop her off at that school and you can just watch them walk in and you have no idea what's going to happen to them after those doors close, and you just pray that they're going to be safe."