SAN ANTONIO – New information obtained by KSAT shows staff at IDEA Public Schools’ Judson campus waited 20 minutes to call 911 after it received a report of someone with a gun on campus.
The report last Thursday led to a lockdown of the school, which is located on Judson Road near Interstate 35, and caused panic among parents.
Dozens of parents arrived at the school to pick up their children, only to find a locked gate with San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officers standing guard.
“That doesn’t tell me anything,” said Raquel Bilbraut after reading from a somewhat cryptic email sent to parents from the school.
Bilbraut showed up at the campus with her husband, Eddie, who told KSAT he realized, in hindsight, that something was afoot at the school when he dropped off his daughter around 7:40 a.m.
Eddie Bilbraut said he noticed a gate normally used for student drop-off was closed, and staff members were directing parents to another part of the campus.
However, Eddie said, no one advised him about the potential trouble.
“If you would’ve told me that before I dropped my kid, I would’ve taken my kid with me,” Eddie Bilbraut said.
His wife agreed, saying that the school “always tries to make everything seem like it’s OK, and it’s not OK.”
After several emails and attempts by KSAT to get answers, a spokesperson for IDEA Judson provided some details about the report in a written statement.
Alicia Myers, senior public relations manager, wrote that IDEA Judson was notified about a possible person with a gun as early as 7:34 a.m. Myers said the school then had its own on-site peace officer begin investigating and clearing classrooms.
The statement said “shortly after” that, 911 was contacted.
According to SAPD records, however, the first 911 call from the school wasn’t placed until 7:54 a.m. — 20 minutes after the time Myers said the school was notified of the alleged trouble.
Dozens of SAPD officers arrived for an all-out response, which included the use of a helicopter and drone.
Myers said the SAPD response “reflected the way information was erroneously given in the initial 911 call.”
She declined to answer KSAT’s follow-up questions about who placed the call and what specifically that person said in error.
KSAT has also requested audio copies of those 911 calls from the City of San Antonio. However, it could take up to 10 business days to obtain them.
John Curnutt, the assistant executive director of the San Marcos-based Area Law Enforcement Rapid Response (ALERRT) Center, stopped short of criticizing how IDEA Judson handled the possible threat but said it’s better to play it safe.
“You should call us as soon as possible so we can get on the way,” Curnutt said. “It’s a lot easier to turn us around than it is to get us to show up when you find out that it’s really bad.”
Curnutt’s organization trains law enforcement officers in responding to active shooter calls, among other training exercises.
While time is of the essence in actual emergencies, Curnutt said we also live in a time where crank calls and hoax threats are common.
Taking a beat to assess the situation is sometimes required, Curnutt said.
“To verify if something is real and how best to handle it, sometimes, it does take time,” he said.
In this case, SAPD officers ultimately determined there was no threat.
Myers, in her statement, said the school has learned some lessons from this incident and will “continue to review and refine protocols.”
“We understand how unsettling this situation was for families, and we recognize the importance of transparency when reviewing these moments in hindsight,” the school’s statement stated.
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