FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County Public Schools administrators announced Sunday morning that a person had been arrested over threats.
According to Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies, a 14-year-old high school student in Lauderdale Lakes used her Instagram stories on Saturday afternoon to threaten several Broward schools, and later said she intended them as a joke
BSO deputies worked with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Plantation Police Department, and Broward County Public Schools Police on the case.
“We want to remind everyone that posting threats online to commit an act of violence on a school campus is expressly prohibited and subject to serious consequences including felony charges and expulsion. If you post a threat to commit an act of violence at a school, we will find you,” a BCPS spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Debra Hixon, a Broward County School Board member whose husband died during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, released a statement about the case.
“It is so frustrating that this keeps happening. Threats are serious and the anxiety it causes students and staff is unforgivable. Whoever made this threat should be punished with severe consequences,” said Hixon, the school board’s vice chair.
On Friday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools announced police officers had arrested a suspect accused of using social media to post a threat of violence against Lamar Louise Curry Middle School.
“M-DCPS kindly asks parents to continue speaking to their children about the importance of using social media responsibly. Threats of any kind will be taken seriously, and those involved could face life-altering consequences,” a M-DCPS spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Law enforcement has to take threats seriously. Marcee Gray reportedly called Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, to warn that her 14-year-old son had plans to shoot up the school. The teen later used a rifle to kill two students and two teachers and injure nine others.
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Mercedes Cevallos and Joyce Grace Ortega contributed to this report.
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