New video shows police clearing classrooms at IDEA Judson. Lockdowns across multiple districts this week—many false alarms—are fueling fear and safety concerns.
SAN ANTONIO — New video shows police rushing into classrooms at a northeast-side charter school Thursday morning, moments after a reported weapon prompted a lockdown and a large law enforcement response.
San Antonio police said they were called to IDEA Judson, located in the 13000 block of Judson Road, at 7:55 a.m. after staff reported a potential threat. Officers placed the campus on lockdown while they searched classrooms and the exterior of the school and ensured all students and staff were accounted for.
The scene was cleared around 10 a.m., and no injuries were reported, according to police and school officials.
Police said the call stemmed from a report that a student overheard another student say they had a weapon.
“A student came forward to the administrative staff letting them know they overheard another student saying they had a weapon on their person,” said San Antonio Police Department Senior Public Information Officer Sharavious Jackson. He said the investigation remains ongoing, including whether any disciplinary or legal action will be taken.
While officers cleared the campus, chaos unfolded outside the school’s gates as parents searched for information. Several parents told KENS 5 they began calling police directly, saying communication from the school was limited.
“They told us there was a lockdown. They opened the gates, let all our kids in, and they won’t tell us anything,” said Roberto Jimenez, whose daughter attends the school. He said he remained in constant contact with his child and was prepared to jump the fence if necessary to reach her.
Parents said they did not receive an official notification about the lockdown until 8:20 a.m., more than 20 minutes after police were first called.
“Kids are telling us there’s two people with guns in there,” Jimenez said at one point, as parents pressed officers and school officials for updates.
Others questioned the visible police response.
“There is no critical evidence of a threat on campus? This shows different!” one parent shouted at officials. Another could be heard saying, “With all these cops here, y’all should have found something out by now or found the person.”
Parents also reacted to emergency equipment seen near the campus. “A stretcher? Why a stretcher?” one parent said. “Tell us something!”
Police later confirmed no weapon was found and no credible threat existed.
“Everybody’s OK,” one officer told parents, adding that pickup procedures were being handled according to standard protocol.
IDEA Public Schools released the following statement later Thursday morning:
“IDEA Judson was made aware of an unconfirmed report of a prohibited item on school grounds earlier today. School leaders worked in collaboration with authorities in the investigation and found no evidence of a credible threat. The campus was placed on lockdown temporarily while the investigation took place, and the lockdown has been lifted. Students and staff are safe. As this is an ongoing investigation, all further questions should be directed to the San Antonio Police Department.”
The incident at IDEA Judson came on a day when multiple campuses across San Antonio dealt with safety concerns.
At John M. Harlan High School, officials with Northside Independent School District said an unloaded gun was found on campus Thursday morning.
District officials said they received a report that a student may have been in possession of a “prohibited item,” prompting administrators and NISD police to locate the individual. A search was conducted, and an unloaded gun was found and confiscated without incident. The campus entered a SECURE status for an undisclosed period of time.
According to the district, no threats were made against students or staff, and the student involved will be disciplined.
“We take this violation of safety protocols very seriously,” Principal Rick Yzaguirre said in a statement. “The safety of our Hawks is our absolute priority. We are grateful for the quick response of our staff and law enforcement to ensure our campus remained secure.”
Meanwhile, parents in Judson Independent School District say repeated lockdowns—particularly false alarms—are triggering real fear and frustration.
At Judson High School, families experienced two lockdowns on consecutive days this week. Both were later determined to be false alarms. One alert sent to parents Wednesday stated the lockdown “was set off by a student.”
Parents say the incidents raise serious questions about how lockdown systems are triggered and who has access to them.
“The kids are having access — they’re doing false alarms alerting parents,” said one anonymous parent. “I can’t be taken away from my job just because a kid decided to push a button.”
The parent said the layout of classroom emergency buttons may be part of the problem.
“From what I’m told, the buttons are placed right near each other,” the parent said. “One is for the lockdown protocol. The other is the button to speak to the office in the event of a fight or something.”
They added that the lockdown button must be pressed multiple times to activate, but said students still appear able to trigger alerts.
“My opinion, I just don’t think Judson, particularly, thought this completely 100% through,” the parent said. “I don’t think it’s doing its job the way it should be.”
Parents say the repeated incidents are also affecting students’ sense of safety.
“My daughter has even told me, ‘I don’t feel like the school is safe,’” the parent said.
Several parents referenced the 2022 shooting in Uvalde, saying the frequency of false alarms makes it harder to distinguish real danger from hoaxes.
“It’s happening too often,” the parent said. “With the severity of what happened in Uvalde, it’s very scary as a parent because I never know what’s real and what’s not.”
Parents are now calling for solutions, including limiting lockdown controls to staff only, improving communication during emergencies and disciplinary action when alerts are misused.
In a statement to KENS 5, Judson ISD said student and staff safety remains its highest priority and that both incidents at Judson High School followed the district’s Standard Response Protocol, which requires immediate action whenever a potential safety concern is identified.
The district said one incident was later determined to be a false alarm, while another involved an alarm activation by a student, but emphasized that all lockdowns are treated seriously and handled with caution until law enforcement confirms there is no threat.
Judson ISD said when a student is suspected of intentionally causing a false emergency, the incident is investigated and addressed under the Student Code of Conduct. Due to student privacy laws, the district said it cannot share details about individual disciplinary actions.
District officials said each incident is reviewed to determine whether additional supervision, education, or safeguards are needed to reduce the likelihood of false alarms, and that security decisions are based on ongoing assessment rather than a specific number of incidents.
Judson ISD said it understands the concern these situations create for families and remains committed to clear communication and maintaining a safe learning environment.