An unsubstantiated rumor shared on social media spread fear among parents of Cleveland Middle School students on Friday, according to Susan Ard, spokesperson for Cleveland ISD.
“Our police chief Angela Allen got a call this morning from Fox News to ask about a fight that was supposed to take place on the middle school campus,” Ard said. “Somebody called it in to the television station.”
The rumor alleged that student-led gangs were going to initiate violence on the campus.
“The police couldn’t investigate until school started for the day. It was investigated and found to be untrue,” Ard said.
Though the rumor was unproven, that didn’t stop worried parents from removing their children from classes for the day. Between 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., vehicles lined the middle school grounds as parents picked up their children as a precautionary measure.
Later in the afternoon, Cleveland ISD released the following statement:
“Early this morning, CISD was alerted to rumors of possible fights occurring today on the middle school campus. Our CISD Police Department was notified of the rumors and immediately began an investigation. For precautionary measures, police presence has been active on the campus today and fortunately, there were no incidents. All of our campuses are running smoothly as normal, and all students district-wide are safe.
Cleveland ISD takes any threats, rumors, or negative actions toward our students seriously and our first priority is the safety of our students and staff.”