{"id":115686,"date":"2026-01-08T16:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/115686\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:39:09","slug":"fbi-investigates-social-media-threat-against-14-texas-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/115686\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI Investigates Social Media Threat Against 14 Texas Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The FBI is investigating a social media threat targeting more than a dozen schools across Texas, including three Austin elementary schools.<\/p>\n<p>Austin ISD leaders said in a letter to community members that the threat was made against 14 schools, including Austin\u2019s Andrews, Baranoff, and Barrington elementary schools, <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/local\/fbi-investigates-social-media-threat-targeting-14-texas-schools-including-three-in-austin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">CBS<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n<p>The social media post includes a photo of a masked individual with firearms but does not specify a date or time for the threat, officials said. The FBI told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kvue.com\/article\/news\/education\/schools\/austin-isd-threats-against-schools\/269-0c6fa0bb-cc48-4148-a7c0-71b194347cbe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">KVUE<\/a> that they are aware of the threats and are working with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.campussafetymagazine.com\/insights\/when-the-alarm-is-real-but-the-threat-isnt-how-ai-can-help-schools-respond-smarter-to-swatting\/173202\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">RELATED: When the Alarm Is Real, But the Threat Isn\u2019t: How AI Can Help Schools Respond Smarter to Swatting<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe FBI takes these threats seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,\u201d said an FBI San Antonio Field Spokesperson. \u201cWe urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Austin ISD Police have increased patrols on the three impacted campuses and is asking anyone who sees anything suspicious to call its non-emergency line at 512-414-1703. District officials also urged parents to remind students not to share threats online but to report them to a trusted adult.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u2014Article Continues Below\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: fill;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/interactive-169805268244.png\" alt=\"Get the latest industry news and research delivered directly to your inbox.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Additional Threats Made Against North Texas Schools<\/p>\n<p>Several North Texas schools are also on high alert after the circulation of an anonymous social media video featuring a masked man making violent threats against specific campuses, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/several-north-texas-schools-targeted-social-media-threat-flagged-fbi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Fox<\/a>. The man is reportedly holding a pistol in front of a Nazi flag.<\/p>\n<p>Schools that have confirmed they were named in the threat include Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School (Fort Worth ISD), Watson High School (Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD), Castleberry High School (Castleberry ISD), and Lake Dallas High School (Lake Dallas ISD). However, Fort Worth Police said its Intelligence Exchange Section (INTEX) has \u201cstrong reason\u201d to believe it is not a credible threat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe video is believed to have originated outside of the U.S with the sole purpose of inciting fear,\u201d the department said in a news release. \u201cA similar message was received by a neighboring department earlier today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.campussafetymagazine.com\/news\/surge-in-swatting-incidents-u-s-colleges-continue-to-be-targeted-by-false-active-shooter-reports\/173172\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">RELATED: Surge in Swatting Incidents: Number of Hoax Threats Continues to Grow<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The FBI also confirmed it is investigating the threat.<\/p>\n<p>Students were also evacuated from North Dallas High School on Tuesday morning after receiving reports of a bomb threat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox4news.com\/news\/north-dallas-high-school-prank-call-prompts-police-response\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Fox<\/a> reports. At least 35 police units were sent to the school. Officers secured the campus and determined the threat was not credible. Officials gave the all-clear a short time later and students returned to class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis came in as a concerning tip. Students were evacuated out of an abundance of caution,\u201d said the Dallas Police Department. \u201cIt was ultimately determined to be a prank call.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The FBI is investigating a social media threat targeting more than a dozen schools across Texas, including three&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[36460,50917,50918,3646,12023,14239,11782,11780,50919,27,29,28,50920,50921,18861],"class_list":{"0":"post-115686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-bomb-threats","9":"tag-campus-police","10":"tag-campus-threats","11":"tag-fbi","12":"tag-investigations","13":"tag-school-safety","14":"tag-school-security","15":"tag-student-safety","16":"tag-swatting","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-texas-headlines","19":"tag-texas-news","20":"tag-threat-assessments","21":"tag-threat-management","22":"tag-threats"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}