There was an increased security presence Tuesday morning at East Ridge Middle School, near Clermont, after a student reported hearing a secondhand conversation about another student saying he would bring a gun to school, Lake County Schools said.
However, it was later determined by school officials that the student was inconsistent in his stories and that no credible threat was found, officials said.
“We take every threat very seriously,” Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. “It doesn't matter the extensiveness of the resources that we have to pull together, if it means protecting our kids, we will absolutely pull every resource together.”
The Lake County Sheriff's Office was informed about the reported threat.
Investigators said they believe the child was unsure about what he heard, or that he might have misheard something.
“There's just so much going on in this world, you just have to learn how to handle it correctly you know?” parent Jazmin Felix said.
Kornegay said she wants parents to keep communicating with their children about whether they see something and to say something, but they must also realize the consequences of making a false threat.
“We want, if they see anything or hear anything, that they report it immediately. We don't want to discourage that because we want to keep our kids talking,” Kornegay said.
Kornegay said the 65 to 70 percent of students who stayed home received excused absences.
A school safety message for students and families of @ermsspartans pic.twitter.com/US9MZjFQTs
— Lake County Schools (@lakeschools) February 27, 2018
The @lakeschools told me the sheriff’s office is "continuing to investigate the threat this morning and we are working with them to try and locate the student. We will update parents as more information becomes available." @WFTV pic.twitter.com/Gncm8to1HJ
— Sarahbeth Ackerman (@SAckermanWFTV) February 27, 2018
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