Juvenile arrested over ‘potential safety concern’ at Lingleville ISD, school officials stay mum.
A student at Lingleville ISD has been arrested and charged with posing or making some sort of threat against Lingleville ISD, the Erath County Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release five days after the incident occurred.
The release states that on Saturday, Sept. 3, the sheriff’s office was contacted by school staff about a potential safety concern, and an investigation got underway immediately.
“A number of witnesses were interviewed as a result of this investigation,” the statement reads. “Uniformed and non-uniformed law enforcement officers were at the Lingleville ISD campus as they are with all school campuses in Erath County.
“While the investigation was ongoing, the steps were taken by both law enforcement and school district officials to maintain the safety of the Lingleville ISD campus.
“Today the investigation has developed into an arrest and the charging of a juvenile suspect. The name of the juvenile suspect will not be released because of their age.”
DID SCHOOL OFFICIALS MISLEAD PARENTS?
Beneath the Surface News received an email Thursday morning from a concerned parent.
“On (LISD’s) Facebook page the school acknowledged the presence of law enforcement but seemed to insinuate that it was related to new security measures as a result of Uvalde, and didn’t mention anything regarding a threat,” the parent stated in the email. “It's been said that a new student brought a gun to school and mentioned to several kids about shooting up the school like Uvalde.
“I’ve heard from another source that they were aware of the threat but not of a gun. So no telling what is true, other than the fact there was a possible threat made that involved a law enforcement response and zero communication to parents.”
The email also pointed to a statement made on Lingleville ISD’s Facebook page on Sept. 6 that appears to skirt around the issue of any type of threat.
“We wanted to acknowledge the presence of law enforcement on campus today, Tuesday, Sept. 6. First and foremost we want to assure everyone that your children are safe and well cared for at Lingleville ISD,” the post states. “Due to increased security measures across the state of Texas caused by recent events, having a law enforcement presence will become common place for all schools. Our local police, DPS and Sheriff departments are working together with schools to meet their new criteria as well as to ensure the safety of all children.”
That statement apparently did little to satisfy nervous parents who feel district officials aren't being transparent about what happened.
“As a concerned parent, this is highly unacceptable that parents haven’t been informed and that administration made a misleading statement online,” the parent said.
