COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Keith Hayes hoped a day at a Frisco park would be a huge distraction for his children ages 6, 11 and 13. He and his wife also have a 3-year-old.
Hayes isn't concerned about their safety at school. However, he does have concerns about their exposure to the information about the deadly mass shooting at an Allen outlet mall over the weekend.
"Our main concern was to give them a mental break and give them a chance to get their minds off of what's going on," Hayes said. "Let them be kids for a day and not have to worry about being safe."
Hayes' kids are all Allen ISD students. He learned the district's crisis team would be at the school to offer student, staff and teachers help coping with the tragedy.
Saturday's deadly mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets mall has been emotionally draining for many. Hayes and his wife have had chats with their children and encourage other parents to do the same.
Moments before Hayes spoke with WFAA reporter Scoop Jefferson, he learned more about the victims, like the Cho family whose 6-year-old son is the only survivor.
Read related: What we know about the victims
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"Your thoughts turn to the fact that we have been there. We have been to that mall for shopping so, that could be us," said Hayes.
As a father, he takes the emotional stability of his children seriously. He credits his wife with carrying the conversation with their children to get them at ease and learn why something like a mass shooting happens in their community.
"It's scary to them because they don't understand, they're not old enough to realize that sometimes bad people do bad things when we don't have any warnings," said Hayes.
The concern for parents like Hayes comes as law enforcement officials respond to a social media post threat targeting north Texas school districts.
Although a recent threat was deemed not credible, districts like Plano ISD partnered with police to warn students about making threats on Monday. A video that includes law enforcement leaders from Plano, Richardson, Murphy, and even students, elaborates on how police respond to school threats.
"Our officers will investigate all threats, even those you might consider to be a prank," said Plano Chief of Police Ed Drain.
Due to the non-credible school threat and the mass shooting, some districts granted excused absences, impacting school attendance on Monday, May 8. District wide attendance for Allen ISD dropped to a little over 79% of students. The Monday before the shooting almost 95% of the students showed up for class.
"It's hard because your heart goes out to the families. That's got to be the worst thing that can happen for a parent is to lose a child. It's unthinkable," Hayes said. "It's scary to think about you could be going about your everyday life and this is the kind of thing that could jump out at you."