Wednesday began with heightened tension for parents and students with social media threats throughout the state in the wake of the mass shooting exactly one week after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting- which left seventeen people dead. A threat caused a flurry of panic at two Collier county schools, caused another school to go on lockdown in Manatee County, and caused parents to leave work, yanking their kids out of class.
On social media, a post made the rounds with hints of a potential threat that could happen at Palmetto Ridge High School and Gulf Coast High School, both in Naples.
There were no lockdowns or evacuations at either school. But that didn't stop a steady stream of parents and guardians from taking students out early.
Michelle Roggerio, a former Gulf Coast High Schooler, came to pick up her little brother and her cousin.
“After hearing about Broward County, it’s crazy," Roggerio said. "And here there was a threat. I mean what is going on in these schools nowadays? Honestly devastating.”
There were talks earlier in the day about a student walkout in solidarity with Stoneman Douglas students who marched in Tallahassee to champion gun law reform. Similar school protests happened all across the country, but did not happen at Gulf Coast High.
Serena Dorvely, also a former Gulf Coast High Schooler, came to pick up her sister.
“They’re making bullet proof bookbags now, because it’s such a threat now,” Dorvely said. "It's really frustrating that this is happening everywhere."
Both Collier County Schools and the Collier Sheriff’s department are encouraging students to report suspicious media posts instead of sharing them.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the source of the threat.
