'We don't treat them as a joke': FBI warns about student threats on the rise

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The number of school threats is rising in Texas, and now the Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning students that their actions today could negatively impact their future.

"We take these seriously. We know that a lot of these threats made by students or others are meant to be a joke or a hoax, but we don't treat them as a joke. We treat them all very seriously," Assistant Special Agent Christopher Soyez says.

From threats via social media, emails, calls, and comments made even on gaming apps, agents at the FBI have seen and heard it all.

Agent Soyez explained that these types of threats typically fall under local jurisdiction or a district's police force because the FBI investigates federal crimes, but we're seeing change.

School-related threats to life:

• September 2024: 66

• September 2023: 13

• September 2022: 13

The number is significantly higher than in September of last year. According to the FBI, authorities received 13 school-related threats compared to 66 this year across the country.

Soyez said it seems basic but is worth reiterating these three takeaways: Don't post school threats; don't share them; and remember there are real consequences to what you post online.

"We've seen some local cases recently in which the students were charged with making terroristic threats, which can all be felonies, and those felonies will follow you, so when you're applying for jobs later in life, applying for college. We know that colleges now are looking at social media and looking at the things you post and affiliate with and so these things can come back to damage students in the long run, and we'd hate to see something that was meant to be a joke come back and really have detrimental effects in your life," Soyez said.