Broward County, FL - A surge of school threats has prompted authorities in Broward County to arrest nine students since the start of the school year.
The students, ranging in age from 11 to 15, made threats on various social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp.
According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office (BSO), the threats varied from bomb threats to promises of school shootings.
Several students claimed their posts were jokes, but authorities emphasized that such threats are not to be taken lightly.
"It's a crime," Broward Schools Superintendent Dr. Broward Hepburn tells WPLG. "When you make a threat to our school. It is definitely not a joke."
The arrested students attended schools across Broward County.
Among them were a 14-year-old boy who threatened multiple schools and an 11-year-old who made a bomb threat at Somerset Academy in Deerfield Beach, forcing the entire school to be evacuated.
Judge Elijah H. Williams warned students that making such threats could have serious consequences.
"If you are charged and found guilty," Judge Williams told WPLG. "You will ultimately be facing up to three years of confinement in a locked-down facility."
BSO and school officials urged parents, caregivers, and educators to remind children and teens to think carefully before posting online.
Any threat, no matter how seemingly harmless, can lead to an arrest with long-term consequences.
Dr. Hepburn emphasized the importance of making responsible decisions. "One bad decision can ruin or change a young person's trajectory for the rest of their life," he said.
Under Florida law, individuals can be charged with a felony for written threats to kill, bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting, regardless of whether the threat is made verbally, in writing, or online.
Anyone who sees or hears these types of threats should immediately report them to law enforcement or submit them through the SaferWatch app or FortifyFL.