The alleged social media “threat” that caused beefed-up police presence at three beachside schools last week, and prompted conflicting information to the community from school officials and law enforcement, was apparently never a threat at all.
The scare began on the evening of Feb. 12, just two days before the first anniversary of the Parkland school shooting. At 7:21 p.m., the Satellite Beach Police Department posted on its official Facebook page that a “vague threat” had been made “that did not specifically identify any school in our area,” and extra law enforcement would be present at area schools the next day. Principals from Satellite High and DeLaura and Hoover middle schools sent text messages to parents with similar language about an hour later.
Parents and students took to social media looking for more information, and some parents opted to keep their children home from school the next day.
In the midst of it all, at 7:50 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 13, the Satellite Beach Police Department posted this on Facebook:
“Threats to School Update: It has been determined through investigation the social media post that triggered rumors of threats to students was false. The original post reported to law enforcement did not make any threat, whatsoever. Rumor, speculation and embellishment fueled this incident and exaggerated the facts which resulted in a belief someone was threatening a school.”
SBPD put it more bluntly in a later reply to a comment on the same post: “There was no school mentioned. There was no threat to a school. And actually there was no threat at all.”
Shortly after the SBPD post, district and school officials sent out several messages via email, text and the BPS mobile app that said the threat was “unsubstantiated,” but offered no other details. At least two beachside school principals sent text messages saying the threat came from an out-of-state Snapchat account. Principals from DeLaura and Hoover did not return phone calls seeking comment on Friday.
When asked on Friday about seemingly conflicting information, BPS spokesperson Matt Reed said district officials were told by police and district security at around 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 12 that they had received a tip about a potential threat related to DeLaura Middle School and that the threat had possibly come from a student at Hoover.
“We were told phone calls and social media posts about it had already started among distressed beachside parents,” Reed said. “BPS leaders at that moment neither believed nor disbelieved there was a threat or credible risk of danger to students or staff.”
Reed said that school officials had no choice but to send out messages to parents before it was confirmed whether the threat was credible or not. Because the information had spread so rapidly, BPS also sent out a message district-wide on the morning of Feb. 13 to clarify that the situation only affected beachside schools, and then later one stating that there were no active threats to any Brevard schools.
“In today’s climate, it is common to have to notify parents that police are investigating a report of a threat, and then to have to follow up with a message stating that the reported threat was not substantiated and there was never any credible risk of harm to students and staff on campus,” Reed said. “That’s what happened here.”
