The Texas Department of Public Safety’s community reporting phone app, iWatchTexas, reported a record number of school safety-related incidents in September.
Reports—ranging from school shooting threats to the possibility of other planned attacks on school campuses—totaled 204 during September. This was more than double the same month in previous years.
In September 2023, DPS received 89 school safety-related reports. There were 63 reports in September 2022.
“Looking out for one another – especially in the face of serious threats – is embedded in the spirit of Texas,” stated DPS Director Steven McCraw on October 29.
“Last month’s record number of reports is a testament to the vigilance we have, and need to have, as Texans speak up to help ensure that their families, friends, and neighborhoods stay safe,” he continued. “By simply reporting suspicious activity, we all can play a very big role in protecting the schools, businesses, and communities we love.”
DPS attributed most of the spike to more people using the iWatchTexas app and calling their hotline, 1-844-643-2251, to confidentially report criminal terroristic threats and school safety threats around the state.
However, reports from local media have indicated serious concerns over whether threats have increased in Texas this year.
In September, four Bastrop Middle School students were arrested after a threat toward the school was posted on social media. Two Pflugerville Independent School District students were arrested that same day concerning threats to several campuses.
Austin ISD approved an increase in patrols around Hill Elementary School over a terroristic threat in early September, and Hays Consolidated ISD said a sixth grader was detained in connection with a threat.
Potential threats were also reported in schools elsewhere in the state, including Lubbock, Amarillo, the Rio Grande Valley, Wichita Falls, and San Angelo.
Brady Gray, president of Texas Family Project, told Texas Scorecard that he was grateful for DPS’ iWatchTexas program, and he believes the reporting spike in September “speaks directly to the mental health epidemic we have in this country.”
“That epidemic is fueled by leftist policies that promote and force on children anti-science ideas like transgenderism and homosexuality, as well as teaching them that they are inherently oppressed or [are] an oppressor … through DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] and SEL [social and emotional learning],” said Gray.
