Students and staff were placed on lockdown at Harwood Junior High in Bedford shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday because of a report that a student still on campus may have a weapon.
“It was really scary. I got really scared but my friend helped me through it,” ninth-grader Tina Sigdel said.
In a letter to school families Wednesday, HEB ISD said there was no weapon found.
"A student misheard a conversation, then relayed the misheard information to their parent, who called 9-1-1," the letter said.
The district also address what it said were false rumors and misinformation circulating on social media.
"There is no “hit list”," the letter explained. "Months ago in a separate incident, a student allegedly spoke about a “list” -- this situation was investigated fully, no list or threat was found, and there is no relation to this week’s incident."
The district asked families for help preventing the spread of false rumors and urged people to report concerns directly to the school or law enforcement first.
"These false rumors create stress for our families and cause preventable disruptions at school," the letter said.
The report of a student with gun came in after school, but some students were still on campus for tutorials.
They said they were placed on lockdown less than 30 minutes after tutorials began.
“It was kind of like, you're a little anxious for a little while,” eighth-grader Malachi Martinez said.
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As they hid, students began to text their parents.
“She said, ‘Mom, we're on full lockdown. This is not a game,'” parent Lametrices Mack said. “She is not a child that says much about fear but today she said she didn't know if she would make it home alive and, to me, that says a lot about how bad the situation was.”
After about an hour in lockdown, students and staff were dismissed one class at a time.
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“Thank God everything is fine,” parent Bimal Sigdel said.
"The Bedford Police have determined there is no safety threat at Harwood Junior High," said an initial letter to parents from the district on Tuesday night.
Students said they know who the student involved is and have raised concerns about him in the past.
“That he had a killing list of people he wanted to kill,” ninth-grader Kaileah Turner told NBC 5.
“It’s really scary what's on the brains of the young kids at such an early age, so I'm just glad the kids are OK, the staff is OK and I'm glad my daughter's OK,” Mack said.
Additional counselors will be at school Wednesday for students.
HEB ISD said any student who creates a threat will receive appropriate disciplinary action in line with the HEB ISD Student Code of Conduct.
“The safety and security of our students has and always will be the top priority at Harwood Junior High School. School staff are continuing to cooperate with the police department’s investigation of the original report,” the letter to parents said.
