SAN ANTONIO - As school winds down for the year, troubling reports show threats to educational institutions nearly tripled in our area this school year.

Threats are reported to the Southwest Texas Fusion Center, a team that aims to detect and prevent terrorist and criminal activity. These numbers include actual threats and hoaxes reported to local districts.

In the 2021-2022 school year, 99 threats were reported. That jumped to 263 threats this school year.

Bexar County Juvenile Court Judge William "Cruz" Shaw tells us it's one of the most frequent reasons he sees kids and teens in his courtroom.

"We're seeing kids from all over San Antonio getting involved in social media—and threats on social media—for schools," Shaw told us.

That's leading to lockdowns, arrests, and some districts even banning backpacks in an attempt to keep students safer. Many of these are hoaxes, but police say the fear they create is very real.

Threats continue to surface online

The phones in Northside ISD's communications center started ringing off the hook in early April. Parents and community members were concerned when a post circulating on TikTok warned of a bomb threat at Bernal Middle School.

Chief Charlie Carnes and the NISD Police Department immediately jumped into action.

"The shock and awe is when the police come up, and knock on their door, and we have a warrant for their arrest," Carnes said.

In this case, the bomb threat came from a sixth grade girl.

"If it's a terroristic threat against the school, well, then it's it's a third degree felony," Carnes said.

The girl was arrested soon after police discovered the post.

The same type of situation played out hundreds of times this school year in nearly every district.

In March, an 11- and 12-year-old were arrested for threatening to bring guns to an IDEA school. One student allegedly showed other children videos of himself holding a firearm. Both students were both arrested for Terroristic Threat to Cause Fear Imminent Serious Bodily Injury.

At Jefferson High School in September, parents rushed in after false reports of a shooting.

And in May, security was heightened at Clemens High School in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District after a threatening image circulated on social media. Later, officials said the threat actually originated in Florida and circulated nationwide.

Local trends and the consequences kids are risking

This increase is one reason the Bexar County Sheriff's Department created their school safety task force at two local high schools, with plans to expand if the budget allows.

"In years past, we've seen instances where, actually, bad actors from overseas have made calls, using a variety of technology, to make it appear as if they're actually here local, making these threats," Salazar said.

But this year, the trend has shifted.

"It's usually students," Carnes said.

And Carnes says the perpetrators are getting younger. It used to be primarily high schoolers, but now, he says kids as young as elementary school are getting involved.

"You're contributing to that culture of fear that exists in those schools and is very real," Salazar said.

Officials say even when the threat turns out to be a hoax....

"The strain is real on our resources," Salazar said. "If this ends up being a false alarm, we will still be responding by the dozens. You're tying up resources that could best be used elsewhere."

The emotional toll carries over into the classroom too.

"A lot of funding comes through attendance, and when we have several hundred kids missing from school, now you're talking about a big dollar figure that affects everyone," Carnes said. "The loss is is great."

For parents, Carnes and Salazar say to be aware of what your child is posting on social media and make sure they know how seriously these matters are taken. Even if the threat isn't real... The consequences are.

"That can be on the record forever," Carnes warns.

You can also be charged federally. The FBI issued the following statement on their website:

Issuing a threat—even over social media, via text message, or through e-mail—is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). Those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges.

With a thoughtless remark on social media, young people risk starting out their adult lives in prison and forever being labeled a felon.

We're told kids do get education throughout the year about what happens if they make a threat, but police are urging you to bring it up at home too. They also ask that you report any threat you see, even if you think it might be a hoax.