JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From Duval, Volusia, Putnam, and other Northeast Florida counties, several students have been arrested and charged over school threats recently.
This has led to some parents even picking their kids up early from school.
“I think some of my friends do get nervous,” said one student.
With permission from her mother, News4JAX spoke with a Duval County middle school student anonymously about recent arrests. She said her friends knew one of the recently arrested students.
“They said that he was a nice person. He’s kind of funny, jokes around. But then, he joked about that stuff, and everyone was surprised about it,” she said.
RELATED | Mother’s warning to Georgia school raises questions about moments before shooting
Another person News4JAX spoke with anonymously said he sends his kids to school, and his wife is a teacher.
“My wife’s been a teacher for 34 years, and then we have a 12-year-old in another elementary school down the street from her. I mean, it’s concerning. I mean, every day, you know, it’s a different story on the news,” he said.
Since Aug. 1, nine Duval County school students were arrested and accused of school threats. One of them was 11 years old.
In the last week, multiple other students in Putnam County have been arrested for making threats.
MORE | 3 Putnam County students charged in same week with making threats against schools
This week, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood put on X videos of three students getting perp walked to jail.
“This is absolutely out of control, and it ends now,” Chitwood said in a press conference last week.
Dr. Justin D’Arienzo is a psychologist in Jacksonville. He is very familiar with students making threats.
“Parents need to sit their child down and just talk about how terrible this is and what the consequences could be if you make a threat,” D’Arienzo said. “When you know a threat is made, or there’s a hit list made, or a child is posting pictures of their airsoft gun on social media, a school will then contact us and we will evaluate a child and determine whether they should go back to the school or not.”
He said now is the time for parents to speak with their children.
“When a child is in trouble with something like this, I mean, you know, making a threat is a second-degree felony. Now kids, now parents are getting charged too. Parents are certainly being affected, and I think it’s good that we’re making it parental responsibility,” he said.
The student we spoke with is keeping a measured approach about going to school and what she would tell other students.
“I would tell them to keep calm,” she said.
She and others are asking students not to make threats and simply just go to school.
“These are internet children. That is where they learn everything from,” one parent said.