'Violent' attack plan with student 'watch list' discovered by a Fort Worth school district

Marley Malenfant , Austin American-Statesman
Updated ·2 min read

A document outlining a "violent" attack was intercepted by law enforcement officials, leading to the arrest of two Northwest Independent School District students in Fort Worth on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

According to WFAA, the document contained a "watch list" of 25 middle school students.

Here is what we know:

What was in the document?

The school district said several students collaborated on the shared document, which had a hit list of targets and a plan to carry out an attack. The list contained the names of 32 people at Wilson Middle School: 25 students and seven staff members, the district said.

Officials alerted students, parents and staff members about the document.

“It’s cliché, but you don’t expect it to be you,” one parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told WFAA. “You don’t expect it to be your kid's school or your kid. He’s 14 years old, and I’m going to tell him, 'Hey some kids at your school plan to kill you?’ ”

Police and Northwest ISD have an ongoing investigation

The school district is working with the Fort Worth Police Department to investigate the incident. The district was able to identify two students who were involved in creating and editing the document, according to the WFAA report.

Fort Worth police said "several suspects" have been identified. Anyone with more information about the document and the plans it contained was asked to contact the Police Department at 817-392-4222.

How will the district serve up punishment?

According to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a district official said that any student involved with the document who is not arrested will be punished under the district's student code of conduct.

A district spokesperson said the district normally suspends students for three days while it investigates cases involving serious misconduct. The district, which cited student privacy law, said it could not share more information about any possible punishment.

The district said there will be more security and counselors on campus.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 2 Northwest ISD students arrested, accused of plotting school attack