Palmetto charter school went into lockdown after rumor of shooting threat, police say
A rumored threat against Manatee School for the Arts overnight caused police to scramble, parents to worry and a brief lockdown of the charter school Tuesday.
A parent of a sixth-grader reported the social media threat Monday night, Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler said.
“Detectives spent a lot of time trying to trace the rumor back to its source, and we are pretty sure we have found it,” he said. “It became pretty clear that it was not legitimate threat.”
The student responsible is likely to face school discipline, Tyler confirmed, but it still unknown whether they will also face criminal charges.
Copy cat threats have been witnessed in the wake of any mass shooting on a school campus. Last Friday, Nikolas Cruz — who murdered 17 people and injured 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in the deadliest school shooting in Florida history — was saved from the death penalty after a Broward County recommended he spend life in prison.
Last Tuesday, a rash of school threats were made at schools in Tampa and across Florida.
Shortly after 7 a.m., Manatee School for the Arts (MSA) parents received an email saying that the school had been made aware of the “concerning message.”
“Law enforcement was contacted immediately to investigate and has found no evidence of a direct threat to our campus. However, we must remain vigilant and aware of our surroundings and follow our training. We have also requested additional police coverage on our campus tomorrow and will keep you updated as warranted. Always remember that if you see something, make sure you say something!” the message said.
At least one parent told the Bradenton Herald that they kept their child home from school because of the rumored threat.
The rumor continued to spread on Tuesday morning, however. Just as school was getting started, one student called their guardian to say there was an active shooter on campus.
Palmetto police raced to the school, placing it on lockdown as they searched the campus.
“Immediately we were able to determine that there wasn’t a threat and that it was the same rumor,” Tyler said.
The school notified parents in another email Tuesday morning, sharing the same message on their Facebook page.
“This morning we were put on a lockdown out of an abundance of caution. We continued our lockdown as an extended safety measure until law enforcement could clear our entire campus. It was determined to be a false alarm quickly, and there was no active shooter on campus. We are incredibly proud of our school community for reacting swiftly and calmly,” the message said.
Manatee School for the Arts responded to a request for additional comment with the same statement.
