Texas school bomb threats: Data shows threats cost taxpayers millions of dollars

HOUSTON - Bomb threats against schools can come with punishable offenses and hefty price tags for taxpayers.

Research done by TDR Technology Solutions, a software company that tracks school threats in the United States, shows Texas is fourth in the nation. 184 threats reported this school year resulted in over $10.3 million in taxpayer dollars. It also impacted over 652,000 students. 

Florida leads with over $18 million, followed by Virginia with $12.8 million and Massachusetts with $12.5 million. TDR has been tracking these numbers since 2017 and maintain a database of over 100,000 schools and universities.

"It's based on lost instructional time," says TDR CEO Don Beeler. "It's no different from me hiring somebody to come and tutor my son or daughter and then having to stand outside, not tutoring my son or daughter for the hour that I paid them for."

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Their data reports the May 16 bomb threat at Prairie View A&M University cost over $315,000 - potentially impacting over 8,000 students.

A one-hour threat is equivalent to closing the school for half a day, according to Beeler, and those numbers may be higher based on the age of the student.

"Parents are picking up their kids after you get a threat, which I completely understand," says Beeler. "On the next day, if there aren't certain things that if the police don't announce at the school, the school doesn't communicate in an effective way, or if the person doing the threat hasn't been arrested, then a lot of parents keep their children home the day after a threat."

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Longtime teachers, like Coretta Mallet-Fontenot, say the threats are frustrating as they educate their students - especially during critical testing sessions.

"We're losing instructional time, because parents may not know how to assist their kids with the online resources that are available to them," says Mallet-Fontenot. "Even if they did, that might not necessarily be a priority when a parent might be thinking about their safety."

In the latest TDR data on area schools and taxpayer costs, Clear Creek ISD showed having the most expensive impact. In November 2022, authorities say two students were charged with making terroristic threats after the district announced schools would remain open during the Astros' championship parade. Their records indicate it cost local residents over $183,000. 

While most threats are made by students, there's also an increase in foreign terrorist groups being paid to create them. 

"There's probably another five or six that are active, and they actually do this for a profit," says Beeler. "One of the groups charges $50 to $75 per threat. They have a website you can pay them in Bitcoin. This has been going on since 2017. This is not new. And the big question, which none of us really know, is who's paying?  

Despite the growing international threat, Beeler says it's important to educate the public on the money spent each time a threat is made. 

"Once we start educating the public and the students that this isn't just some simple prank and there's some real dollars involved in and in doing this, I think we can help students understand this is a bad idea."