Quicker communication better for Abilene ISD, parents/guardians

Our views
Abilene Reporter-News

School districts are caught between a rock and a hard decision regarding unsubstantiated social media postings.

On the one hand, and thankfully, these have proven to be false locally. 

On the other, we've witnessed enough tragedy on school grounds nationally to take them seriously. We've seen warning signs that were ignored, and students, faculty and staff have died as a result.

This week, rumors circulated about possible violence, first at Cooper and then the Abilene High campus.

Abilene ISD

The Abilene ISD worked with local law enforcement to investigate the rumors, and security at campuses was increased.

There were no incidents.

The rub then becomes communication. Obviously, if a school district hears about social media threats, so have students. They communicate with other students, friends and family. Some students share their concerns with administration, and good for them.

A wildfire of concern is ignited.

The school day is disrupted in a different way, which may be exactly what those posting rumors on social media intend.

According to the district, there were no specific threats made, only rumors of potential violence. In other words, hearsay. 

But hearsay is a powerful motivator and agitator.

The AISD did not link the rumors to Friday's controversy at Cooper, where a football pep rally banner imprinted with "Trump 'em Coogs" was seen. The district apologized, calling its display "unacceptable" and its wording "extremely insensitive."

Cooper played El Paso's Del Valle High School in a football playoff game Friday night at Shotwell Stadium.

Is school district communication to parents and guardians alarmist if immediate, or is it necessary because today's world is connected by social media and reacts immediately?

If too many alarms are sounded, then proved false, do we start to ignore them?

A lid was kept on the Cooper situation until Monday afternoon, but Abilene High Principal Michael Garcia contacted parents much earlier Tuesday. The situations were different; Cooper's was resolved, Superintendent David Young said, before classes began Monday. The rumors at Abilene High were unresolved.

We recall December 2012, and the days following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Rumors of violence circulated here just before the Christmas break, with some parents pulling their kids out of school early.

This week's news came on the eve of a week off for Thanksgiving. Some students were taken home early.

This is way more serious and complicated than a district making a decision to call off, postpone starts or end classes early when foul weather rolls in.

Yet, the principle is the same. The Abilene and Wylie districts, responding to feedback, chose to err on the side of caution concerning wintry days.

Parents and guardians, we believe, would appreciate quicker notice to confirm what they are hearing, what is being done and the situation status. Trust that the district is capable of handling a situation would be strengthened.

The next step then falls to parents and guardians as to how to react. To the situation, rather than how it's being handled.

Communication should not be an either/or with safety protocol. A short, immediate message that the district is addressing a situation is reassuring to a parent or guardian, who then can calm a student texting or calling them.

We trust our district to do the right things; in turn, they should let us know quickly they are doing that, understanding the public's concern sparks when social media, texts and phone calls ramp up.