Sharpstown International, Neff Elementary schools are on lockdown

Sharpstown International School and Neff Elementary School were put in lockdown Friday afternoon, following a tense week of unsubstantiated threats against campuses across the country after the deadly shooting in Georgia.

Houston ISD leaders announced increased security measures Thursday, after apparent copy-cat threats were made against several Texas campuses and in Houston ISD, where some parents received notification Tuesday about a threatening social media post. 

HISD police said dispatch received a call that a student at Sharpstown International had a gun at approximately 12:37 p.m., reported by another student. Parents were alerted around 1 p.m. by administrators. Police did an interior and exterior sweep of the school, and said they did not find a gun.

A screenshot of a message posted on Facebook from the neighboring Neff Elementary school’s principal, Mahalet Negussie, indicated that campus was temporarily placed “in secure status as a precautionary measure while police investigate suspicious activity in the area. There is no direct threat to your students.” The message indicated instruction was continuing as normal, and that everyone was safe.

About 200 panicked parents came to pick up their children. 

“Nobody’s injured at this time. So, just be patient and your child will come,” HISD police commander Darren McCall said.

Students at Sharpstown International were being released by grade, and one student seemed to be detained by police, according to Marta Perez, parent of 10th grade twins at Sharpstown International. Perez described police being by the front of the building.

She said she left her work in tears after receiving texts from her children there was a shooting inside the school, a rumor that circulated widely. 

“Happy that everyone is OK, but it’s really scary,” Perez said as she waited for her children inside. “You know, it’s just no one is safe anymore. We think that we send our kids to school to be safe, and you get this news. I was worried.”

Eric Zeleya, waiting for his 17-year-old student, said he got a call. He wasn’t sure what happened, and his sister said a boy inside had a gun. Zeleya also said this person was arrested. Police did not confirm any arrests and reported finding no gun.

“All the people are scared,” Zeleya said, adding that he was told to wait an hour for his child to be released. “She’s waiting inside, I don’t know, probably one hour more.”

Naydelin Neri, 19, arrived at 2:40 p.m. to pick up her 16-year-old brother and cousins, after her brother called their mom to say there was a shooting. 

“Schools should really pay attention to bullying kids because that’s because a threat has already been made about a kid who have been bullied, and they don’t help,” Neri said. “And kids who deserve to be punished, they don’t get punished at all, really.”

Parent Mayra Ramirez arrived around 12:30 p.m. to get her sixth-grader. Her daughter said that she heard from other students that a gun was sighted in the cafeteria. She said when she called the school, they didn’t answer her calls.

“It’s just terrible what’s happening here,” Ramirez said, expressing frustration that she waited three hours for her child to be released.

Bryan Chavez, a 10th-grader, said he saw people getting up and running outside.

“So, you know, I was, I was scared, and I started trembling,” he said. “But then the teachers, they told me to, like, stay seated, OK? I was at lunch and then a bunch of people jumped up and ran. Some kids even jumped the gate.”

Sharpstown International, at 8330 Triola Lane, is a sixth- through 12th-grade magnet school in HISD that enrolled about 1,200 students last academic year. Neff Elementary School, at 8301 Neff St., has about 780 students in second- through fifth-grade, its website shows.

HISD said in the afternoon it was aware of a security threat at Sharpstown International School involving “a possible weapon on campus.”

“HISD police and HPD are at the school and investigating. At this time, the threat is unsubstantiated,” the district commented at 3:44 p.m. “Students and staff are safe and there have been no injuries reported. Out of an abundance of caution the campus was placed on lockdown throughout the investigation and remains in a security hold. The campus team is working with parents who have arrived at the school on a controlled dismissal (this means students will be dismissed in stages). We understand this is a scary situation for families and HISD is in communication with them.”

Two guns were found at Bellaire High School in the first few weeks of this school year.