GADSDEN COUNTY, FL (WTXL) — A teen was arrested in connection with a threat to shoot up a high school in Gadsden County, and the sheriff's office is now sharing what students and parents should watch for to help keep schools safe.
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The Gadsden County Sheriff's Office says knowing when something crosses the line into a threat — whether it appears in an online message, a social media post, or even a comment someone claims was just a joke — can help protect a school community.
When deputies began investigating the threat, the sheriff's office worked with the high school to have the student removed while investigators looked into the case.
"We knew who the person was, but we had to be sure that this it was in fact him and that it was him that wrote the threat, so in lieu of keeping him there, we had already made contact with school officials here in Gadsden County, so we took precautions to move him away," Treza Green, a Gadsden County Sheriff's Office investigator, said.
Law enforcement says school safety is not just about what happens after a threat is made. Students and parents should pay attention to language that talks about hurting people, shooting a school, or carrying out an attack — especially when that message is specific or directed at a school or person.
The sheriff's office also wants students to know they should not try to investigate a possible threat themselves.
"It's not a question of when or if this would happen ever happen here; it's just going to be, is it going to land on our county and we want to be prepared for that," Green said.
Anyone concerned about the safety of students or staff should report it to a trusted adult, a school official, or law enforcement. The sheriff's office says it is better to report something that turns out to be nothing than to ignore a warning sign that could put people in danger.
Protecting schools is a shared responsibility, the sheriff's office says, and reporting a possible threat gives law enforcement a chance to investigate and respond.
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