TRI-COUNTY — A social media post out of Midland had parents of schoolchildren worried last night because it mentioned potential threats to schools in the 432 area code, but a state investigation seemed to rule out an actual threat. Still, some districts pledged to put more officers on campuses to patrol late yesterday and today. 

Several districts in the Permian Basin and Marfa and Alpine ISDs posted to Facebook alerting people that the threat was under investigation by state law enforcement, and it did not target specific schools.

Alpine ISD Superintendent Michelle Rinehart posted: “We received the following update from the Brewster Sheriff’s Office from the Texas Fusion Center about the social media post state law enforcement officials have been investigating.

“A social media post was made yesterday on Snapchat by a Midland resident warning people to be careful in ‘432 area schools.’ The image circulated in Midland, then Monahans. Midland ISD Police Department made contact with the original post author regarding the post. The threat has been entered into state law enforcement software for pattern/trend tracking. Due to Midland ISD PD having made contact with the original source of the post, this information is being shared for situational awareness only.

“We appreciate law enforcement’s quick and diligent investigation of this threat. Thank you to the Brewster County Sheriff’s Office and Alpine Police Department for your support during this investigation, and for providing increased law enforcement presence at our schools this week.

“As always, we encourage everyone in #BuckNation to remain vigilant as we collectively uphold our safety and security measures. Any suspicious or concerning behavior should always be reported to school officials and law enforcement.”

The Texas Fusion Center is part of the Department of Public Safety and describes itself as a “Real-Time Watch Center unit.” “The Watch is a 24/7 unit that works with federal, state, regional, and local law enforcement and serves as the state repository for homeland security information and incident reporting,” according to the center’s website. “It provides real-time intelligence support to law enforcement and public safety authorities, and consolidates information and data on suspicious activities and threats from all jurisdictions and disciplines as well as the public.”

Although Alpine ISD’s update noted investigators finding the original person posting a threat, an account from KMI-TV in Odessa reported an Ector County ISD email to parents said that source was not found. “ECISD police, other local enforcement agencies, and the FBI actively investigated it throughout the night but have been unable to track the original source of the message,” the district email said. “It appears to be a follow up, or copycat, to a message that circulated through our area for a time Monday morning stating “people” were going to shoot up schools in the 432 area. Law enforcement do not view either threat as credible, however, these types of messages are frightening, and we always take them seriously.”