LAKE CITY, Fla. — At least five different threats were made to schools in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia in less than a week. Three of those threats were made in Columbia County.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office will hold a press conference along with the State Attorney's Office and the Columbia County superintendent of schools at 10 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss the threats in the area.
The first threat in Columbia County was made over the weekend. This prompted increased police presence at schools on Monday. Two more threats were made during the day on Monday. According to the sheriff's office, three teenagers were arrested and charged with second degree felonies.
Palatka Junior Senior High School was briefly placed on lockdown Monday for a potential threat, and law enforcement in Jacksonville and Ware County, Georgia also investigated threats to schools over the last few days.
First Coast News Crime and Safety Analyst Mark Baughman said law enforcement officers take every threat seriously.
"You're putting everybody on high alert with all these assets you have and attention that you have to give now to the school because the first time you become dismissive about it, is when it really does happen," Baughman explained.
The threats were made using social media. Baughman said law enforcement agencies usually start by looking for the original post and tracing the person behind it. They also work alongside the school districts.
"Every agency has their own social media investigative units that can kind of tie things back quickly, and then you also gotta go in and talk to the administration, the school, the principal. Did you expel anybody lately? Who are your problem people? Do you have these individuals? What are their phone numbers? Do they have cell phones, things like that," Baughman said.
Although the people behind the threats were caught, people are still shaken up with many taking to social media with concerns. Dr. Christine Cauffield, the CEO of LSF Health Systems, said even if no one is hurt, these threats can still have an impact on a student's mental health.
"Acting out behaviors, withdrawal. With older children, you'll find actual post traumatic stress disorder presentations…avoidance behaviors, not wanting to return to school," Cauffield explained.
Cauffield recommended starting a conversation with your kids about how these threats make them feel, and reassure them they are safe. "Modeling that appropriate behavior, ensuring that your child feels safe and secure. We're gonna talk about ways to ensure we're safe as we're going to school, we as a family are going to take extra precautions to make sure that everybody is protected. We want everybody to feel safe and feel ok about returning to school."