KTSM News – Attorney: Kids face serious consequences for making threats at school

 EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Following the concerns at Canutillo High School after a social media threat and fights that resulted in several arrests this week, KTSM spoke with a local attorney about what consequences kids can face if they threaten violence on school grounds.

Omar Carmona often speaks to students about the repercussions they can face if charged with a crime. He told KTSM that over the years he has had to lower the age group that he chooses to speak to.

“I started seeing the trends and I said, ‘You know what you know, that maybe by freshman year we should start talking to these kids early in high school.’ Now we’re at the point with fifth- and sixth-graders, serious and adult conversations we cannot hide the world from them,” Carmona said.

Oftentimes, kids and their parents are unaware of the legal repercussions if they start a fight on school grounds or threaten a campus. According to Carmona, there are a wide range of charges they can face.

It can be a misdemeanor simple assault but school fights can escalate to aggravated assault, which is a felony. If a student threatens gun violence, the consequences are even higher, he said.

“Once the threat is made or what appears to be a threat and law enforcement reacts, investigates, initiates some sort of investigation, then a felony has been committed, whether or not the person who made the threat was being serious or not,” Carmona said.

Students who have reached out to KTSM expressed concern over the lack of communication from their school administration. While Principal Candice Marrufo said they have increased patrols on campus and that there was no threat to the school, Carmona explained that the school cannot ignore the problem.

“Parents should be kept in the loop so that is really incumbent on the schools and on the district to give parents that valuable information as it is coming into them because if parents are left in the dark, that is what causes panic and hysteria sometimes,” Carmona said.

Carmona does offer a solution to combat this wave of violence that is not just affecting Canutillo High School. He said that parents and school administration need to take a more active role in their child’s life.

He said parents need to check on their kids especially how they spend their time on social media.

“Parents need to be sure who their kids are hanging out with, are positive peers. What else they can do is talk to their kids about the dangers of making threats. This could be a felony. It can hurt financial aid. It can hurt job prospects, scholarship opportunities.”

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