JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An alarming rash of school threats across our area has parents and students worried.
After receiving numerous phone calls, emails and social media messages about the threats, News4JAX confirmed there have been at least six local schools affected by threats this week.
School leaders and police are investigating threats at:
- LaVilla School of the Arts
- Fletcher Middle and High School
- Raines High School
- Ponte Vedra High School
- Indian Trails Middle School
The threats all drew a rapid response from police, and no one was hurt.
Susan Samko has twins who are freshmen at Ponte Vedra High School. She said she heard about a threat to kill students there late last week.
“For my daughter who’s very commonly levelheaded. It was a big deal,” Samko said.
Administrators sent out a message saying the threat wasn’t credible, and they addressed the situation. Samko wishes they had been more open about the process, noting rumors were swirling about the student behind the threat returning to school.
“I think time can allow the authorities to check out this child, whether it’s the home, the locker, the true validity, and have everybody settled down a little bit more over the winter break,” Samko said.
In a statement to News4JAX, Paul Abbatinozzi, Associate Superintendent of Student Support Services for the St. Johns County School District wrote:
As it relates to threats to our schools, we do have set protocols we follow when a situation like this occurs. This encompasses both internal (school district) and external (law enforcement) collaborative efforts to assist us in decisions we make relative to next steps. These protocols are followed by both agencies and strategies, consequences etc. are put in place consistent with past practices and statutory requirements.
All schools have a trained Threat Management Team which includes the YRD to evaluate all potential threats. Upon completion of the evaluation of a threat our school teams follow the required protocol with regards as designated in Rule 6A-1.0019, F.A.C. We also take disciplinary action as detailed in our Student Code of Conduct based on the nature of the infraction. All reported threats are taken seriously and evaluated timely in conjunction with the SJSO Threat management Detectives.
St. Johns County School District
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Fletcher High’s principal sent a voicemail to parents after a student brought a knife to school and threatened others with it.
A spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools, which have seen threats to at least four schools in the last week, sent us a statement that says in part:
- The consequences of making a threat of violence are serious and can include arrest, expulsion, and criminal charges.
- Any threat of violence is serious regardless of whether it is verbal or written, or made as a joke or a prank.
- When a threat is identified, we work with law enforcement to immediately implement security measures. These can include an enhanced police presence, a school lockdown or lockout, and comprehensive backpack searches. As immediate safety measures are put into place, we also send out notifications to families in the impacted school community and provide updates as needed.
Duval County Public Schools
Due to student privacy laws, schools can’t release the names of students who are behind these threats. But Flagler County just announced the arrest of a 13-year-old Indian Trails Middle School student for making a threat on Snapchat.
The sheriff said it’s a message that these incidents will be taken seriously.
“Even though kids may think that making threats to kill or harm others is just a joke, it is not under Florida law, and we will take it seriously every time,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Parents need to be the Sheriff in their homes and ensure that their children make smart decisions. Teach them the proper way to handle disagreements. Florida law is very clear. Making a threat to kill will get you arrested every time.”
Schools encourage parents, students, families, and the community to report suspicious activity.
If you see something, say something. Call police or use the Fortify FL app to report threats.