Parents and students were left feeling confused this week following a string of reported threats, none of which investigators say posed a credible danger.
Still, law enforcement increased on-campus security out of caution at affected sites, officials said.
The incidents began on Wednesday when Camden County High School was notified of a possible threat. The Kingsland Police Department investigated and concluded the message did not pose a danger, but additional security was posted on campus as a precaution.
Also on Wednesday, Keystone Heights High School received an after-hours voicemail that contained an implied threat. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the call and said in a statement, “We had additional security at the school today and will have additional security at the school tomorrow out of an abundance of caution.”
On Thursday, several Putnam County schools — Palatka Jr.-Sr. High School, Mellon Learning Center, the Children’s Reading Center Charter School — and St. Johns River State College were put on modified lockdown while authorities searched for a man who may have been armed with a knife nearby.
The lockdowns were lifted a few hours later after searches did not locate a credible suspect.
Tom Hackney, News4JAX’s crime and safety analyst, said that schools and law enforcement frequently take swift, precautionary action even when a threat has not been confirmed.
“So many times it’s really just out of an abundance of caution,” Hackney said. “You think you know where they’re going to go, or how it’s going to play out, and they don’t. When there’s a school in that realm, you just have to do everything you can.”
Hackney added that close coordination and training between officers and school staff — including school resource officers and trained guardians — is key to responding quickly.
“It’s really a hand-in-hand training, education, and ongoing training to prevent something from happening at these schools and to react quickly,” he said.
School officials said they will continue working with law enforcement to keep students and staff safe and reminded the community that threats of school violence will not be tolerated.