San Antonio parents decide whether to allow kids to attend school

Threat to school makes parents jittery

On a day when school districts launched security plans following a threat of violence, parents had a tough choice to make -- whether to allow their kids to attend school.

On Monday, local law enforcement officials said a San Antonio school district received notice of a threat of mass violence planned for an unnamed elementary school on Thursday.

Despite the threat, Albert Ayala said he decided to send his 8-year-old son to school on Thursday anyway.

"He was a little bit nervous about coming to school today," Ayala said. "But we told him he needs to be vigilant and there's going to be danger out there, and you have to face it sometimes."

Ayala assured his son that he would hang around campus until he was convinced the situation was safe.

But other parents decided not to take any chances.

One parent, who asked not to be identified, decided not to allow her kids to attend classes. Not even a visit to Howsman Elementary from San Antonio Police Chief William McManus reassured her.

"It's not a joke to me," she said. "It might be a joke (for) whoever said it. But it is not a joke to any parent or any school."

In an effort to set an example, McManus decided to drop off his children at school. He visited several campuses and emphasized that he thinks the threat was not credible.

"Just to reassure anyone that may still have the jitters, despite letting everyone know we don't believe that this is at all credible," McManus said.

For a list of recent stories Stephanie Serna has done, click here.

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