MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two South Florida students are accused of making school threats, one has been arrested.
The Miami-Dade school district said their police department investigated the threats against several schools, mostly on social media, and none appear to be credible.
The student who was arrested, a 15-year-old, reportedly posted a threat involving Miami Senior High School that was then altered by other people and reposted on social media, affecting several other schools.
The teen is being charged with a felony count of written threats to kill or do bodily harm.
“Although these incidents appear to be unfounded, in an abundance of caution, there is additional police presence at several District schools. Any act that disrupts the educational environment, depletes police resources and causes unnecessary stress on students, families, and employees will result in severe consequences,” said the district’s Chief Communications & Community Engagement Officer Daisy Gonzalez-Diego.
A long line of anxious parents formed at Coral Reef High School who rushed there to pick up their children. They were told by a school police officer that it had been verified that the threat was not credible. The school was one of a dozen or so mentioned in the threats.
The principal of Palmetto Senior High School sent out a message to parents reassuring them that the school was safe.
“On December 5th, an incident involving a threat was reported at the school. Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, in conjunction with the threat assessment team, investigated the incident. After a thorough investigation, the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department has deemed the incident as non-credible,” it said in part.
Christopher Columbus High School was also reportedly threatened. The school sent out the following statement to parents.
“We have been made aware of the inappropriate social media post. Our Administration acted swiftly to investigate and has responded accordingly. There is no credible threat to students, faculty or staff and all activities will continue as normal at Christopher Columbus High School today. The safety of our students is our top priority. Our campus is open and safe and ready to provide an education to Explorers this morning!”
The Broward Sheriff’s Office said they received multiple calls on Sunday with information regarding a school threat at Deerfield Beach Middle School. The calls featured the same Instagram post screenshot that had previously been investigated by BSO’s Threat Management Unit on December 4th. The original poster, a 12-year-old female from Deerfield Beach middle, was identified and contacted. The case has been sent to the State Attorney’s Office for possible charges.