PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — An 11-year-old girl is under arrest after the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said she posted on social media, threatening to carry out a school shooting.
The sheriff's office said on its Facebook page at approximately 1:30 p.m. Wednesday that, earlier in the day, the girl, who is in sixth grade at Southern Oaks Middle School, located at 5500 Northeast St. James Drive in Port St. Lucie, was arrested for posting a threat on Instagram "insinuating a shooting at the school."
WPTV learned the school did not go on lockdown.
School and law enforcement response
School staff members and deputies immediately investigated the incident, identified the 11-year-old girl, searched her, and determined the threat was not credible.
"Her actions, however, caused panic, and threats like this are against the law," the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook.
In a statement, Sheriff Keith Pearson said the girl was arrested and faces "severe disciplinary consequences, up to and including expulsion."
"This outcome highlights the strong working relationships among the school district, staff, students, and our deputies, who are on every school campus to ensure our students stay safe," the sheriff's office said on Facebook. "We take every threat, whether made in person or online, seriously. The message is simple: If you see something, say something."
Sheriff Pearson spoke with WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache about the girl’s arrest and the post she made.
“Ultimately it said there would be a school shooting at Southern Oaks Middle School,” stated Pearson. “We were able to identify the youth very quickly, isolate the youth, check the youth, and make sure there was no weapons on campus, which there was not.”
In a message to parents and guardians at approximately 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Southern Oaks Middle School principal Henry Sanabria thanked the students who "saw something and said something," adding that the Instagram post "threatened harm to our school."
Here is the complete message from Sanabria:
"Southern Oaks Middle School Parents and Guardians,
This is Principal Sanabria with an important message.
Let me start by saying thank you to the students who "saw something and said something." Based on their reports, our law enforcement officers investigated a social media post that threatened harm to our school. Working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, the school's administration was able to identify the source of the social media post. The student responsible for making the post will be held accountable, which can include expulsion and arrest.
Safety is a priority for us and we will remain vigilant in monitoring our campus. It is up to all of us to immediately report any concerns or suspicious activities to law enforcement, administrators, or teachers.
Parents, please take this opportunity to talk with your children about the responsible use of social media. Working together we can maintain a safe and secure environment where we can focus on teaching and learning."
Parents react
"My heart dropped. Just thinking of the school shooting that just happened, like this could be happening at my child’s school right now," Lauren Stevens, a parent of a sixth grade student at Southern Oaks Middle School, told WPTV.
She said it's "not something surprising because I’ve been monitoring any social media my kids try to use and it’s scary right now."
“Unfortunately, I mean, 11 years old, somebody should’ve talked to her,” shared parent Lisa Aiello. “You just don’t joke around about things like that.”
Aiello is relieved about the false alarm, but says parents need to step in.
“I always feel like it starts at home with the parents,” said Aiello. “I think that we should always have our children made aware of what’s going on. Especially now in today’s society. It’s a scary place.”
A spokeswoman for St. Lucie Public Schools said school administrators will recommend the girl be expelled. She is now facing second-degree felony charges.
Under Florida law, it's a second-degree felony to make "written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting." Read the law here.
Students, parents, school employees, and other community members are urged to report any suspicious activity involving local schools through the free Fortify Florida app.
