The morning has been turned upside down for local school districts and a Grand Saline teenager has been arrested in connection with the incident that sent ripples through neighboring communities.

Grand Saline School District Superintendent Micah Lewis sent out a phone alert to parents notifying them of the situation which also included a reference made to Mineola. It accompanied a picture on Facebook.

“There were some threatening comments made on social media against people in the Grand Saline school system,” he said. “Your childrens’ safety is our primary concern.”

Lewis said that the district t worked with the Grand Saline Police Department, Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers were involved. A source in the school administration building said that while the doors at the school district are kept locked, the district was not on “lockdown” as has been rumored.

“In coordination of efforts with law enforcement and High School Principal Ricky Laprade, the person responsible for the threats is in custody. It was a Grand Saline High School student.”

Grand Saline Police Chief Justin Collins said that the matter is still under investigation but a 14-year-old boy is now in custody. He said that he was “pretty positive” the boy had acted alone, and any other incidents were not associated with him.

However, Mineola Superintendent Kim Tunnell said the threat also involved the words “… psyche I’m really going to Mineola.”

Tunnell said that all campuses had been made aware and there is a police presence on the campus. The district was also not “locked down.” The Mineola superintendent said that all such threats have to be taken seriously though. All entrances to buildings are already secured by security entrances. She said there are also different procedures, depending on whether threat is from the inside or the outside. If the threat is from the outside, the district goes into what is called “lock out.” If the threat is inside, that is a whole different scenario.”

Mineola police also said that a post about a clown incident at the Mineola Nature Preserve was not true. However, Alba-Golden School District did have a field trip scheduled there and had a police officer accompany them for a reward party. A-G also has secured buildings on their campus.

“It’s been a crazy morning,” Tunnell said.