Alice ISD warns seniors: no toy guns on campus as graduation nears

Toy guns, water guns and anything that looks like a weapon are off-limits on Alice ISD campuses as graduation season nears, and Alice High School Principal Dr. Marissa Kubala is making the warning personal for families in Alice and Jim Wells County.

In a Monday letter, Kubala said the district had received reports of students taking part in pranks and games involving toy weapons, a move officials said can quickly create confusion, panic or a law enforcement response if someone outside the joke misreads what is happening. The message is aimed squarely at seniors, whose end-of-year traditions often intensify in spring, when social media stunts and senior pranks can spread faster than staff can react.

The district’s line is broad: if an object looks like a weapon, brings alarm on campus or could reasonably be mistaken for one by staff, it should not be brought to school. That includes toy guns, water guns, replica items and other look-alikes. Federal law defines look-alike firearms to include toy guns, water guns, replica nonguns and air-soft guns that fire nonmetallic projectiles.

Alice ISD is pairing the warning with a larger safety push that already includes front-door entry systems, visitor identification, increased safety drills, security camera surveillance, campus security increases and on-campus police officers. Its reporting system asks students to flag threats of violence, weapons in school, planned fights, bullying, students in crisis and other urgent situations.

The district’s caution also comes after Alice Police arrested a student after threats were discovered by Alice ISD’s online safety management software, a reminder that what begins as a prank can become a criminal matter fast. Texas Education Code Section 37.125 makes it an offense to intentionally exhibit or use a firearm on school property, or threaten to do so, in a way intended to cause alarm, injury or damage to school property.

Kubala brings a local perspective to the warning. Her Alice High School bio says she was born and raised in Alice and graduated from Alice High School in 1992, a background that places her in the same community now being asked to keep graduation celebrations safe. Alice ISD also keeps its student handbook and code of conduct online as the official version of record, underscoring that the rules are not new, but they are being enforced with urgency as seniors count down to graduation.