What happened before Parrish High lockdown? Manatee school district debunks rumors
The combination of medical emergencies at the same time as an “anonymous and vague” threat at Parrish Community High School in Manatee County this week sent students, parents and faculty into a panic on Thursday.
On social media, rumors swirled about what happened — Was there a gun or shots fired? What caused the medical emergencies?
On Friday, School District of Manatee County spokesperson Michael Barber addressed the rumors.
He said a threat made against the school was being investigated by the Manatee County sheriff’s deputies at the same time as a medical situation on campus on Thursday — a day after a medical emergency and school threat also happened on campus.
Barber said threats were posted on FortifyFL, a website created after the Parkland shooting where people can leave anonymous tips about threats or suspicious activity on school campuses across the state.
“In addition to a medical emergency, we held our students in place today while we worked with law enforcement to investigate an anonymous and vague threat which has been cleared by law enforcement,” school leaders wrote Thursday in a message to parents. “As you know rumors can create more issues. If you or your students have specific information please contact administration.”
However, the threat is not what caused the school to go on lockdown.
“A person signaled for a medical emergency and did it in a way that triggered a lockdown,” Barber said. “That’s what created a sense of panic.”
According to Barber, the medical situation was handled, the threats were false, and there were “absolutely” no gunshots fired.
“Students were running outside the doors of the campus, and every time they would run out, the door would slam behind them, and that’s what they heard,” Barber said.
Rumors also swirled on Facebook of drugs being involved in the medical emergencies, and Barber said those are “totally untrue.”
“What we’ve seen on social media in relation to what’s going on the last couple of days has no basis in reality,” he said.
Fear and concern from students, parents
Nonetheless, parents and students, in particular, hold a traumatic experience from that day with them.
Videos that several students recorded on their cellphones showed a lot of students running and climbing fences to escape the school’s grounds.
In a Facebook Group, Parrish Community High School Supporters, students and parents voiced their opinions on the situation and how they felt things should be handled.
One student shared that she and other students shouldn’t be judged for their decision to flee campus and the fear they felt.
“Reading all these posts today from people saying nothing really bad happened has made me and my friends very angry and upset,” the Parrish Community High School student wrote. “Today, me and my friend grabbed each other and ran for our lives. We were terrified and for grown adults to basically invalidate those feelings is wrong.”
Parents also expressed their concern over the lack of real-time communication from the school.
Many of them said they learned of the situation through text messages and videos their children sent, many of which were sent in panic and did not include confirmed details about what was going on.
“The school was communicating with the parents,” Barber said. “But what was running rampant was rumors and innuendo regarding the nature of the threats and medical situation.”
Some parents said they would keep their child home from school until the school district provided details about what transpired.
One parent said this when asked if her daughter would be returning to school on Friday: “No, she is way too shook up, and I want to know the truth of what really happened. I don’t feel comfortable with this ‘story’ being told. There’s no confidence that things are under control or in a safe environment.”
Other parents said their kids would continue attending school.
There is no need for parents to keep their children at home, said Barber.
Parrish Community High School is one of several schools in the county with armed security on campus during school hours.
This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 5:51 PM.
