A violent social media threat against black students at a Killeen, Texas, high school on Friday prompted parents to keep their kids home from school, reports the New York Daily News.
The move came in response to since-deleted Instagram posts on Thursday by user “jakedajesus254,” including a picture of a man holding a gun and another with this message: “This is a final warning to all the n—gers out there. I’m gonna beat UR asses I wanna fight every n—ger who thinks he can take me. I will be fighting everyone I can tomorrow after school in front of the school,” the report says.
Although the late-night posts and the account have been removed from Instagram, the report says, they resurfaced on social media as a warning for parents to keep their children home Friday. As a result, concerned parents removed their kids from school on Friday, leading to 352 absences out of the school’s roughly 2,000 students, the report says.
“HEADS UP PARENTS KEEP YOUR KIDS HOME FROM KILLEEN H.S. Tomorrow,” warns a Facebook image of the two Instagram posts, notes the News. The message “from a concerned parent to Another!!!!!!” encouraged users to spread the word on social media.
The school day on Friday ended without incident. No one was arrested in connection with the posts, the News reports.
In a statement Friday morning, Killeen Independent School District Superintendent John Craft said the school district, its Police Department and the Killeen Police Department are investigating the “social media posting pertaining to the safety of the school environment.”
“At this time, appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the campus and classes will proceed as scheduled,” Craft said. “All entities are dedicated to ensuring appropriate security measures are in place, and the safety of our students and staff remain a top priority.”
Read more at the New York Daily News.