False School Shooting Ends With Multiple Parents Being Detained
After the San Antonio school went into lockdown, parents assembled outside and were handcuffed and detained as they attempted to make their way past barricades to get to their children.
The well-documented failures of police involved in the Uvalde, Texas school shooting may have changed the way parents respond and react to reports of school threats forever. An alarming amount of false reports of school shootings have been reported all across the nation over the past few weeks. In the latest, frightened parents assembled outside of a San Antonio, Texas high school, where reports of a gunman inside eventually were found to be erroneous.
The incident began around 1 p.m on Tuesday, September 20th, according to reports from The Associated Press. Authorities quickly arrived at the Texas high school after receiving a report of an active shooter inside a classroom. The school went on lockdown, and as police began clearing rooms, they found no evidence of any weapons or active shooters.
Despite their belief that the report may have been false, authorities followed through with protocols and searched the remainder of the school during the lockdown. However, parents also began converging outside of the Texas high school. It is believed that many of the students in lockdown began calling their parents on cell phones to alert them of what was believed to be happening.
Several parents were handcuffed and detained after attempting to break through police barricades to enter the locked-down Texas high school. One father reportedly punched his fist through a window to force his way inside. Police treated his injury on-site, as others were also detained for altercations with authorities.
In a growing fashion, more and more parents are quickly assembling and growing outraged outside of schools during reports similar to the one at this Texas high school. Much of the disapproval with how authorities handle lockdowns is believed to have come from the response during the most recent deadly school massacre in Uvalde, Texas. Last May, dozens of police officers stood idly by as a gunman continued to slay children and teachers inside a classroom.
Similar panic has been reported as an uptick of other false threats have been documented in schools across the nation. In the past few weeks, at least 11 false reports throughout the country quickly found parents assembling outside, scared for their trapped children’s lives. Furthermore, the San Antonio Texas high school superintendent feels this is a sign that communication policies between the schools, police, and parents need to be addressed.
Superintendent Jaime Aquino noted that there has to be better communication lines, allowing the district to communicate with parents in “real time.” While it is unknown how the Texas high school currently conveys messages to parents, popular real-time messaging apps are utilized by schools all across the nation. Additionally, Aquino is certain that if it weren’t for Uvalde, parents wouldn’t have reacted the way they did on Tuesday.
But the response to Uvalde may not be the only thing causing turmoil and fright from both parents and students alike. Gun violence in general is on the rise across the nation. Mass school shootings fortunately are not common, however, reports of guns being brought onto school campuses are a daily occurrence for many schools.
Authorities revealed that the report of the school shooting derived from an altercation between two students. However, those involved said that no firearm was used, and authorities never found a weapon after they swept the Texas high school. For now, no arrests against the parents who converged outside have been reported.
