Houston – Virtual learning for one HISD teacher has been an emotional roller coaster after she says she received a series of death threats from a student.
“It was very disturbing because it escalated really fast,” said Marsha Jump.
Jump teaches communication applications at Waltrip High School. She shared screenshots with KPRC Channle 2 that show the frightening and inappropriate messages she says she received from the student through the district’s virtual learning system.
They began on September 18 after he was blocked for muting Jump and playing music during class.
“let me in (expletive) or i will kill you.”
“gon put a bullet through your head.”
There are even threats to kill her family.
“I missed a visit with my children because I was afraid to have them around me,” Jump recalled.
The threats had Jump file a report with HPD and then the school district. She says she also was forced to make changes at home.
“There was a period of time where I was sleeping in my bathroom hallway because I have windows on each side of my apartment,” Jump said. “I didn’t want to be near windows.”
Because the student is a remote learner and all this started at the beginning of a new school year Jump has no idea who the student is or what he or she looks like. Jump says the district has told her there’s not much they can do because the student is communicating from their home. But Jump says the foul communication needs to be stopped.
“This is probably going to ruin somebody’s life just by trying to be silly,” Jump said. “But I know the law and I want the book thrown at this person.”
KPRC Channel 2 reached out to HISD. In a statement a spokesperson told us “We take all threats to students and staff (live or virtually) seriously and we are conducting a thorough investigation.”