Pinellas Officials Urge Parents, Students To Not Spread Rumors

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Pinellas County officials had a succinct message for parents and students when it comes to threats of school violence on social media: “Report it, don’t share it.”

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Feb. 22, officials said much of the fear mongering that’s occurring in the wake of the shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School is being caused by parents and students innocently spreading rumors on social media.

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said both officers and detectives have spent countless hours in the past week investigating threats of school violence on social media.

“It’s very time-consuming,” he said. “We’ve had nine incidences of things posted online” since the shootings in Parkland.

One of those threats was against Northeast High School, 5500 16th St. N., St. Petersburg, earlier Thursday, just hours before officials held the press conference at the school.

The threat proved unfounded but Holloway said it took police two hours to investigate it.

In the meantime, both parents and students shared the threat multiple times on social media, prompting fearful parents to rush to the school to pick up their children.

“One parent told another parent and, next thing we knew, there were lines of parents outside trying to get their children out of school,” Holloway said. “Parents are scared but don’t keep spreading the rumors. Stop it right there when you see it and call the police.”

Earlier this week, Holloway and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman visited Northeast to speak with students about their concerns in the wake of the school shootings.

“We wanted to reassure them that they are in a safe environment so we told them a little about what we’re working on to improve security,” Kriseman said. “We also wanted to let them know that their voice is really important now, more so than ever before if we want to change policy in this state and this country. We told them to use this time to make a change, get engaged, have a say about what’s happening in their lives.”

Holloway said the majority of students are fed up with the threats of violence, the school lockdowns and the classroom disruptions.

“They’re voicing their opinion and saying enough is enough,” he said.

Nevertheless, officials arrested a Pinellas County student Thursday for threatening violence. The Lakewood High School student is the first Pinellas County student to be arrested. According to Holloway, the student verbally threatened to shoot someone at the school.

“This is not a joke,” Holloway said. “If you do threaten to harm someone, it is a second-degree felony. We’re investigating every threat. And, if we can prove a case, we’re going to arrest you.”

He added that parents shouldn’t be alarmed if they see a greater law enforcement presence at the schools.

“They’re just getting familiar with the teachers and students,” he said.

In the meantime, Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael Grego said the district has done a lot in the past five years to make schools safer “without turning them into prisons.”

While he couldn’t reveal specific improvements, he noted that the school district now has a former Secret Service agent on staff who previously helped protect four United States presidents. He’s now using his experience to better secure the county’s schools..

“We’re continuing to try to upgrade the security systems,” he said. In addition to assigning campus monitors to serve as eyes and ears in the school hallways, he said swipe tag systems have been installed to keep unauthorized people from entering the schools and most of the schools now have a single point of entry.

But Kriseman added that security has a price tag.

“The bottom line is we need money from Tallahassee to implement improvements to make our schools safer,” he said. “The time for talking is over. We need action now and we need resources.”

Image via St. Petersburg Police

St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Northeast High School Principal Michael Hernandez talk to students at Northeast High about school safety.