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'It's a constant worry': Parents struggle with recent spike in local school threats after Michigan shooting

School safety experts say an increase in school threats is expected after highly publicized shootings and districts must take each one seriously .

HOUSTON — School safety experts say every time there's a school shooting, threats spike across the country. That trend is holding true here in the Houston region. And parents want to know what's being done to keep their kids safe. 

Dads like Chris Cox learned of a new threat at Travis High School in Fort Bend ISD earlier Thursday. 

"It's a constant worry," said Cox. "It's a scary situation. It feels like it's weekly, if not monthly that we have a worry about our children."

Moms like Angela Lopez learned of a new threat at YES Prep West too. 

"We don't know," said Lopez. "That's what concerns me the most. We don't know what's happening. Threats are happening in so many places, kids are seeing it as normal trends as something that just happens."

RELATED: 'This is not a joke' | Klein ISD student expelled amid investigation into social media threats

Today's recent threats come on the heels of social media threats at Klein Cain High. That led to a student's expulsion and possibly criminal charges. Fortunately the threats have not been credible. 

"Every threat that comes in should be assessed on a case by case basis and taken very seriously," said Dr. Kathy Martinez-Prather. 

Dr. Martinez-Prather is Director of the Texas School Safety Center. She says the spike in threats is expected. 

"Some may not be credible, but some may be," said Martinez-Prather. "So it's really important to be aware and on high alert."

School districts statewide know they must be vigilant. Behavioral Threat Assessment protocols to track down each threat should be in place. 

"A lot of it is investigation and information gathering to assess if it's credible and then to figure out what to do to intervene early on," said Martinez-Prather.

Experts says students are the greatest intel that can help prevent tragedy. Dr. Martinez-Prather encourages parents to stay on top of their kids on social media and parents must keep open lines of communication with their students and most importantly their schools 

"There are things parents have a right to know and should be holding their districts accountable," said Martinez-Prather.

The Texas School Safety Center has plenty of resources for parent's available online on their website. You can find more information here. 

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