In an alarming pattern of threats against schools in South Florida, two students—a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old—have been arrested in Broward County after posting violent threats on social media.
Both girls confessed to making the threats but claimed they were intended as jokes. However, law enforcement and school officials are taking these cases extremely seriously, reminding the public of the grave consequences of such actions.
A 14-year-old girl was arrested on Saturday by detectives from Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Threat Management Unit, along with multiple law enforcement agencies, after she posted a series of Instagram stories threatening multiple schools, including Park Lakes Elementary, Lauderdale Lakes Middle, and Dillard High. According to authorities, her posts referenced a school shooting, including images of a hand holding a gun, and even mentioned the recent Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia, where four people were killed.
Read: Teen arrested after threatening school shooting at Broward Schools
The 14-year-old now faces charges of making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting, threats involving a destructive device, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. After her arrest, she was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Fort Lauderdale.
Broward County School Board Vice Chair Debra Hixon, whose husband was killed in the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, expressed her outrage. “It is so frustrating that this keeps happening. Threats are serious, and the anxiety it causes students and staff is unforgivable. Whoever made this threat should face severe consequences,” Hixon said.
Second student arrested for making threats
Just two days after this arrest, a 12-year-old girl from Lauderhill was also taken into custody on Monday night after she allegedly made similar threats against several schools, including those in Lauderdale Lakes, Fort Lauderdale, and Sunrise. The student was charged with making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device. She admitted to detectives that the threats were meant as a joke and that she had deleted the social media account used to post them.
“When confronted, she confessed to making the threats, saying she never intended to carry them out,” the Broward Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Lauderhill 6-12, one of the schools targeted, confirmed they had received a threat on Monday night. “Law enforcement immediately responded and located the individual responsible. Criminal charges will be pursued, along with disciplinary action in line with the Student Code of Conduct,” the school said.
‘A disruption in the educational environment’
Broward Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn highlighted that these incidents are part of a troubling rise in threats made against schools via social media. “Let me be very clear: every single threat, whether in person or online, is taken seriously and addressed with urgency. These poor decisions have life-altering consequences for students and create a disruption in the educational environment,” Hepburn said.
He added that responding to these threats diverts critical time and resources from the mission of educating and protecting students. “These threats not only cause fear and anxiety for students and staff but also disrupt the school day, taking our focus away from what matters most: learning.”
The Broward Sheriff’s Office reminded the public that under Florida law, making school threats—whether spoken, written, or posted online—can result in felony charges. The penalties are severe and can include long-term legal consequences, including expulsion from school.
The arrests in Broward come amid a spate of similar incidents across South Florida. On Friday, Miami-Dade County Public Schools also announced the arrest of a suspect accused of posting a social media threat of violence against Lamar Louise Curry Middle School. Authorities across the region are working together to address these threats with swift legal action and increased school safety measures.
“M-DCPS kindly asks parents to continue speaking to their children about the importance of using social media responsibly. Threats of any kind will be taken seriously, and those involved could face life-altering consequences,” a spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools said.
These arrests underscore the importance of responsible social media use and highlight the severity of making threats, even in jest. Authorities and school officials are urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers and consequences of online behavior.
