Polk County is just one of the school districts nationwide that has been forced to respond to an influx of violent threats made against schools this year.
Fred Heid, Polk County Schools superintendent, shared their “zero tolerance” policy in a Thursday morning news conference, “pleading with” parents to remind their kids of the lifelong consequences of making threats.
In the first 28 school days, 24 students in Polk County were arrested for making online threats against local campuses.
Law enforcement made 42 arrests during the entire school year last year, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
The students arrested this year are facing second-degree felony charges.
Heid said families can also face consequences, including paying restitution for all of the costs to investigate a situation, which could be as much as $5,000.
Judd said all threats so far have not been legitimate, but he joined Heid in reminding students that each one will be taken seriously.
“We’re not going to let our children be in harm’s way at school,” Judd said. “And we are making it abundantly clear that we are holding those accountable.”
Judd said his office has had 355 anonymous tips so far this year. Each threat can take three to five hours for a team of officers to investigate.
“We’re serious about keeping kids safe and creating a safe environment,” he said.
Heid shared some of the precautions the district is taking, but could not share all of them so potential shooters could not find a way around school security.
Some measures Tampa Bay area schools are taking include adding physical barriers and security cameras, conducting random searches and using weapons-detecting canine units.
Polk schools are not the only ones facing threats and taking measures to protect their students.
Tanya Arja, Hillsborough County Schools spokesperson, encouraged parents to talk to their children, monitor their social media pages and report anything suspicious to law enforcement.
“It takes all of us to keep our schools and our communities safe,” Arja said in an email to WUSF.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office reports it has receive more than 100 school threats in the last two weeks.
Thursday, a 14-year-old Hernando County student was arrested after threatening to bomb Hillsborough County Schools on the social media app X. After his arrest, he admitted he does not have any bomb-making materials or know how to make a bomb, according to Denise Moloney, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
In Manatee County, law enforcement officers arrested three students, including a sixth grader, on Wednesday. Michael Barber, Manatee County Schools spokesperson, said his schools had “multiple threats” on Thursday as well.
School districts across the state are seeing an increase of threats following a fatal shooting at a Georgia high school on Sept. 4.
Governor Ron DeSantis spoke Thursday about the problem and how law enforcement is addressing it.
“It is not a joke to threaten violence at a school,” DeSantis said. “...In Florida, if you’re doing that, you’re going to be held accountable.”
Heid said students will face the “fullest extent of the consequences” for written threats.
“I think, unfortunately, many of our students believe that social media is an appropriate place for them to try to garner attention,” he said.
Judd also talked about how quickly rumors circulate on social media and the importance of sending tips to law enforcement through FortifyFL.
Polk is one of several counties utilizing the app, which allows anyone to submit tips concerning dangerous criminal activities directly to law enforcement.
Judd suggested parents monitor their kids’ phones and discuss the severity of making these threats.
He added he does not want schools to feel like Fort Knox, but that the priority will be to keep students safe.
“You have to have a safe environment to have a learning environment,” Judd said.
