FBI investigates bomb threats against North Texas teacher who supports LGBTQ students

A teacher in the Northwest school district was targeted with bomb threats after messages circulated on social media critical of her support of LGBTQ students.

The teacher received a bomb threat at her home, and there was also a threat against Medlin Middle School in Trophy Club, where she teaches.

A spokesperson for the district said the FBI, Trophy Club police department and the Northwest district are working together to investigate the threats, and that the school district will pursue charges to the full extent of the law.

The threats occurred last week during spring break after messages about the teacher circulated on social media account The Libs of TikTok.

According to NBC News, bomb threats targeting drag performers, LGBTQ teachers and doctors who treat transgender patients have been sparked by posts on the account.

The district did not identify the teacher because of safety concerns.

On March 13, parents from Medlin Middle School received a letter from principal Paige Cantrell stating the district received a notification of death threats against one of the school’s teachers.

The threat, which was a hoax, said a bomb was “placed” at the teacher’s home and a second one was at the school.

Trophy Club police checked the teacher’s home and the middle school and found nothing, according to the letter from the school district.

“Based on the content of the threat and the fact that this individual did not know we are on spring break, we believe the threat was likely issued by an adult who does not live in or near Northwest ISD,” the letter read. “The content of the threat also made it clear that this teacher was specifically targeted following a social media harassment campaign against her.”

The letter went on to say that the district will “stand firm” and protect the teachers from harassment in any form.

“False threats and rumors spread unnecessary fear and panic in our school and community. Additionally, false threats waste valuable police resources,” the letter stated.

The news about the bomb threats led to an outpouring of support for the teacher from parents and a strongly-worded Facebook post from school board president Steve Sprowls, whose wife also teaches in the Northwest school district.

Sprowls wrote that he was expressing his personal opinion and not that of the district or of the school board.

His post said in part: “These past few weeks, the far-right wackadoodles have blitzkrieged an all out attack on the First Amendment rights of NISD students. Their hateful rhetoric and unhinged zeal has now led to terroristic threats.

Out of curiosity, why haven’t these far-right wackadoodles spoken out condemning these terroristic bomb threats? Their silence speaks volumes of the hatred in their hearts.”

Sprowls said in an interview that the teacher was targeted after she agreed to sponsor a student club called Safe Spaces.

“My wife is a teacher in the district. So really, when you attack any teacher, you are kind of attacking my wife,” Sprowls said.

“Teachers have better things to do than worry about attacks on their lives.”

Sprowls also said, “our country is built around compromise,” but that it has gotten to the point where people are not allowed to compromise.

“When you do a bomb threat against a school, something has got to be said,” Sprowls added.

The messages that circulated about the teacher also included a flyer showing names of some of the students.

Johnathan Gooch, a spokesman for Equality Texas, said the organization has seen an increase of reports of violence and bullying against the LGBTQ community after the Legislature passed anti-LGBTQ laws.

“A lot of politicians were using extreme language. It has just normalized violence and emboldened people to act out their darkest fantasies,” Gooch said.

Gooch said added it is important to know that there is a slim minority of “vocal, very hateful people,” but over 75% of Texans believe that it is wrong to discriminate against the LGTQ community, according to the American Values Atlas from the Public Religious Research Institute.

“What we need is for those people to say something against what is harmful and offensive. We know we have allies in this community, and they have an opportunity to stop this violence before it starts.”