JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 16-year-old Ribault High School student was arrested Monday after police received a call from the student's mother in reference to a mass shooting threat to a school. The mother told police she "discovered messages sent from her Apple iPad by her son."
First Coast News is not naming the student due to his age.
In a heavily redacted police report, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said they looked at the conversation between the student and at least two others. Information on what the text messages said is redacted.
JSO seized the mother's firearm and took screenshots of the messages as evidence.
The student is facing charges of making a written threat to commit a mass shooting and possession of a firearm on school property.
Duval County Public Schools communicated the arrest to parents on Tuesday.
"Hello Ribault High School families, this is Dr. Bostic calling. I am disappointed to bring you news this morning that one of our students made the very bad decision to send a message allegedly threatening to conduct a shooting at our school. Police were notified and intervened, and the student alleged to have posted the message has been arrested. Besides judicial consequences, this student also faces severe disciplinary consequences under our student of code of conduct. While there is no active threat to the school and our normal security measures are in place, I wanted to be transparent with you and ensure that you are aware of this incident. It is always disheartening to me when I hear of a student making a choice to do something like this. You all know that we want nothing but the best for our students here at Ribault, and our school offers students so many paths to success. If there is ever anything we can do to better assist you student in their success, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Thank you and have a great day."