Increased police presence at Sarasota school went ‘smoothly’ after report of threat

An increased police presence greeted students as they walked through the doors of Sarasota High School Friday morning.

“Everything went smoothly with no issues,” Genevieve Judge, spokeswoman for the Sarasota Police Department, said Friday.

It was all part of an abundance of caution taken by school officials and Sarasota police after officials were alerted to what was initially perceived to be a threat made on Snapchat, a social media application.

Police were able to determine there was no credible threat, Judge said, after speaking with the student and her parents.

“We don’t have (threats) very often,” Judge said. “We’re going to take any sort of threat seriously, we’re just thankful the student let teachers know about it.”

Sarasota Schools sent a second robo-call Friday morning to parents and staff.

“Sarasota Police Department detectives have confirmed there is no credible threat to Sarasota High School, its staff and students. Unfortunately, reports such as these are not uncommon and are always treated seriously until verified to be no threat. We are grateful for our partnership with the Sarasota Police Department, who remain diligent in ensuring the safety of our students and staff. Their additional presence on campus this morning was greatly appreciated,” Bethany King, assistant principal, said in the robo-call.

“A safe and secure learning environment is currently underway on the Sarasota High campus. Thank you for your support while the investigation took place,” King said in the recorded message.

The first robo-call went out Thursday night, alerting parents to the incident and the expected increased police presense at school the following day.

Judge said they wanted to get the information about the police presence out there so the students wouldn’t be scared.

The investigation is ongoing. Sarasota County Schools are working with police in the investigation, communications specialist Scott Ferguson said.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Increased police presence at Sarasota school went ‘smoothly’ after report of threat."