Mariner Middle School in Cape Coral warned parents of threats of violence being made on social media but police were drawn to the campus for another reason.
In the case of Mariner Middle, one student made a verbal threat to another student.
The Cape Coral Police Department found out about it followed basic protocol, ultimately deeming it a noncredible threat.
The email parents received on Wednesday night warned them of rumors circulating on social media that something could occur on Friday.
“Good evening Triton families,” Principal Rachel Gould wrote in the email. “We are aware of the social media rumors threatening school violence on Friday. These rumors are circulating throughout the district and nation. It is not just Mariner Middle or Lee County. We are working with law enforcement and a district-wide communication will be released [Thursday]. Our number one priority is the safety of all Mariner students and we take all threats seriously.”
There is also a TikTok threat of gun violence going around on social media that the School District of Lee County is aware of and keeping a close eye on.
Cape Coral police made an appearance at Mariner Middle School this morning but the day went by as usual.
“What we’re seeing is bad behavior by students. And what law enforcement parents and educators have to do is separate nonsense from reality,” said Blake Dowling, CEO of Aegis Business Technologies. “Parents wake up, see what your kids are doing out there.”
Dowling is an expert in business and security technology.
He said determining whether some school threats are credible means sifting through vague and sometimes hostile social media platforms.
“It’s asinine. It’s just silly,” said Cape Coral Police Department Public Information Officer Phillip Mullen.
“You wake up in the morning, and send your school to send your kids to school, thinking they’re gonna be safe. When in reality you hear this and it’s oh man is my son even safe at school? He’s not,” said Marine Middle parent Alex Franco.
Making these threats could lead to life-changing repercussions.
“Making these threats is a very, very serious crime and it’s going to affect you for the rest of your life,” Mullen said. “Treating it as a joke, treating it like a social media trend. It’s just it’s, it’s silly. You need to really evaluate what you’re doing is really not funny.”