Authorities shed additional light on a possible threat to IDEA Rio Grande City Tuesday evening, saying that two juveniles have been questioned over the incident and that charges were being considered, though it’s unclear whether any charges will actually be filed and the school never seemed to be directly threatened.
Assistant Chief Jose Solis said the investigation into the potential threat stemmed from one of those individuals posting a photo of a weapon online, which someone discovered Monday and reported to authorities. IDEA Public Schools described that online interaction as a conversation between two students that was discovered by a parent.
Solis said the police department worked with the Starr County Sheriff’s Office to respond to the potential threat, saying that law enforcement picked up two juveniles in relation to the report Tuesday morning.
The photo posted online doesn’t clearly meet the parameters of an intentional threat and may not ultimately result in charges, Silva said.
“So we’re going to sit down with the county attorney’s office and see if there was enough for charges or if it was more of an administrative issue,” he said. “Unfortunately some of these kids don’t understand the consequences of their actions, but they need to know schools and law enforcement are taking this stuff very seriously.”
An IDEA Public Schools spokesperson Lynnette Montemayor said Wednesday that even if no charges are filed, the scare could result in consequences.
“We take matters of this nature seriously and disciplinary action towards anyone who makes a threat will be taken per our Student Code of Conduct,” she wrote in an email. “The student involved will stay home pending the investigation and we are encouraging parents to monitor their child’s activities and speak to them about the consequences of making jokes or false threats or engaging in actions that impact school safety.”
Silva said Rio Grande City PD generally keeps a presence at the IDEA campus on a daily basis and will increase patrols and urged the public to assist law enforcement with detecting school threats, which have proved frequent in the Rio Grande Valley since the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
“We do encourage people to report,” Silva said. “It’s very important.”
