Over the last two weeks, school systems across our nation have unfortunately seen a significant increase in concerning social media postings. Victoria ISD is sadly among this group. These postings have included hurtful, inappropriate comments directed at fellow students, and in one instance, an anonymous comment insinuating possible gun violence. We have seen these posts spread into online rumors and create panic that has disrupted the safe physical and emotional environment necessary for student learning to occur.
We share our parents’ and community’s concern over these potentially dangerous social media interactions. Victoria ISD has been on high alert and working hard to protect our students in every instance when aware of these issues. Our efforts to address these rapidly evolving situations has included communicating these concerns with our campus families and community. We need you to be informed, and we need your help. In many instances, these concerning communications are happening outside the school day, yet impacting effective school operations and creating a sense for students and staff that they may be in an unsafe environment.
We have received many questions asking what the school district’s process is when addressing these concerns and asking how we will keep families informed when these issues arise. In the event of a verified threat, we will immediately notify families and provide continued updates as new information becomes available. We partner with the Victoria County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) to trace the origins of these electronic threats and determine whether there is a valid threat.
What We Do When Someone Reports a Threat
We investigate every report and involve law enforcement when threats are made to student or staff safety, including the campus school resources officer (SRO) and VCSO.
We, alongside SRO’s, speak directly to students and parents. If the threat involves a gun or weapon, we work with officers to search and determine if the person in question has access to a weapon. This is one way we evaluate the credibility of a threat.
We communicate immediately if we have a credible threat or a disruption is occurring to our schools. We provide accurate information as quickly as possible.
We utilize our school safety response protocols, including:
a “hold” when we keep students in their classrooms instead of switching classes;
a “secure” when we continue a normal school day but keep people from entering or exiting the building;
a “lockdown” when we close the building and ask students and staff to secure in locked areas; and
an “evacuation” when we ask students and staff to clear a building or space.
We continue investigating threats, even those deemed not to be credible, to ensure our code of conduct is being followed and to provide legal and disciplinary consequences.
We close the loop with our families, teachers, staff, and students by communicating at the end of a situation. We share as much information as we can without violating confidentiality or making a situation less safe.
We debrief with law enforcement after incidents for continuous improvement
How You Can Help
Report any concern to law enforcement or campus administration, or a district staff member and avoid sharing the concern on social media before doing so.
Discuss with your student(s) the importance of being responsible on social media and to report any concerns to a teacher, school administrator or any VISD staff member.
Reach out to VISD or campus personnel if you have additional information or questions
When provided follow safety instructions from the district or campus that may be included in VISD messaging
Share accurate information with your community that comes directly from the district, campus or law enforcement
Truth Takes Time
We work diligently to discover, understand and report facts to our community. While those results will never be produced as quickly as rumors or information from live events, our purpose is to be transparent and accurate with the information we provide our parents and community. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we respond to concerns in our community while keeping our campuses safe and welcoming.