As Champion High School students huddled Wednesday morning, hushed in their darkened classrooms behind locked doors, freshman Isis Peart texted her mother and father to let them know what was going on.
The problem was, she didn’t exactly know, either.
“I was crying, because I didn’t know what was going on,” Peart said. “I heard all these rumors about active shootings, bombs and everything else. I didn’t know how to feel about anything.”
It didn’t take long for her parents, Kenry and Yanela Peart, to get in their vehicle and make the short drive to the school — where they found a bevy of police, fire and school vehicles blocking all access to Charger Boulevard and the school.
An investigation continues and a response review is under way as Boerne city and school officials evaluate the collective response to Wednesday’s threat incident at Boerne Champion High School.
Police received a phone call, issuing a threat of a student at Champion “with 14 explosives in and around the school, (he) has an AR-15 loaded and is ready to shoot anyone that comes in the school.”
The threat indicated a possible location in the school for the student and a telephone number — a 708 area code — where the threat originated.
Boerne Police, EMS and Boerne Fire Departments units were notified, as was the Boerne ISD, which put several schools on lockdown. The police response included lockdowns at Champion, Boerne High School, Curington Elementary School and Van Raub Elementary School before BISD issued lockdowns and lockouts across the entire district as a precaution.
Hundreds of parents of Champion students gathered across FM 46 from the school, maxxing out available parking lots. Vehicles lined the curbs of the Woods of Boerne Boulevard and nearby Winding Woods as well.
An understandable look of concern was etched on the faces of moms, dads, grandparents and others. Nearly all cradled their cellphones, either texting with their students inside the school or whipping through any number of news and social media sites, desperate for updates.
Champion sophomore Vianna Trapasso was in her American Sign Language class when the lockdown began.
“We just stayed in the classroom. The lights were off, and we all just stayed quiet,” Trapasso said. “I texted my mom and dad to let them know what was going on.”
Trapasso said students were escorted to the auditorium before administration posted a schedule for the rest of the day.
Her father, Lee Frank Trapasso, arrived at the scene as soon as word of the incident filtered out.
“I know I was going over the posted speed limit down Main Street to get here, with my hazards on,” Trapasso said.
“My wife called me and let me know ... so I have a friend with a police scanner and I asked him, ‘Can you go see what’s going on, if it’s a hoax or not.’ I just needed to know whether this was a ‘surprise test’or something,” he said. When he arrived across FM 46 from the school, he said he did not see very many parents assembled.
“I think I was one of the first people to be here,” Trapasso said. “I was thinking, ‘Why is no one else frantic?’” Isis Peart’s parents made the scene, with Isis and her brother, sophomore K.J., both inside the school.
“We got an alert from our children, saying there was a lockdown-active shooter at the high school,” father Kenry Peart said. “We obviously started looking into it, looking at the news, looking at media outlets, and saw that it was a real-live scenario.”
Their mother, Yanela Peart, said “the mother in me kicked in” as they drove to the school.
“I heard (Isis), she was very shaky, and very upset,” Yanela said. “(K.J.) was shaky at first but calmed down.
“It’s kind of scary,” Yanela said. “They are in a classroom, the lights are shut off, they can’t talk ... it’s a big deal. I was feeling what they were feeling. I got pretty emotional at first.”
Parents gathered across from the Sonora Bank building on FM 46 shared texts with each other that told of the students being moved to the auditorium while police searched the rest of the building.
“I know Champion and the surrounding schools have amazing response teams, but it’s still nerve-racking for any parent,” Trapasso said.
City and school officials released statements later in the day, summarizing what took place and how each responded.
“At 9:25 a.m. Wednesday, Boerne Police Department dispatch was notified of a threatening phone call made to Champion High School,” Chris Shadrock, Boerne director of communications, said. “The caller said bombs had been placed at the school and there was an individual with a gun on campus.”
“Boerne ISD immediately placed Champion High School on a lockdown. Shortly after, a second potential threat at Boerne High School was also identified and that campus was placed on lockdown.
“Boerne police officers, joined by deputies from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, responded to both high schools and conducted initial sweeps of the campuses,” Shadrock said.
“The potential threat at Boerne High School was found to be unsubstantiated,” Shadrock said. The threat made against Champion High School was also found to be unsubstantiated, he said, after a sweep of the campus and a second sweep with K-9s trained to detect explosives.
By 12:55 p.m., all Boerne ISD lockdowns and lockouts were lifted, Shadrock said.
Boerne ISD Superintendent Dr. Kristen Craft, who arrived from the Houston area Jan. 2 as the district’s new superintendent, released a statement late Wednesday afternoon.
“Our highest priority is the safety, security, and well-being of our students and staff, and we take all threats very seriously,” Craft stated.
“At approximately 9:25 a.m., the Boerne Police Department notified the district of a threat against Champion High School. The district was placed on lockout, and subsequently, Champion was placed on lockdown. Additional measures were taken at Boerne High School to also place them on lockdown,” Craft said.
“Investigations began swiftly, under the incident command of the Boerne chief of police. Boerne ISD staff closely coordinated with law enforcement officials as this police matter now involved local, state and federal agencies.
“No credible threat was substantiated at any of our campuses,” Craft said. “We understand this kind of event can be unsettling, and our counselors remain available to support our students and staff.”
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