‘Enhanced security’ planned in Duval County high schools by Friday

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Due to “potential threats” not specified on social media, all Duval County high schools will be implementing “enhanced security measures” by the end of the school week, according to two News4Jax automatic calls obtained the night of Wednesday.

A district spokesman said a threat was made against Sandalwood High School on Tuesday and that students were released from school on Wednesday after a student protest. Sandalwood is the only school specifically mentioned by the district, although all secondary schools are taking similar precautions.

A message was sent from Principal James Ledford to the parents of Fletcher High School students. He states in part:

“I want to alert you that our school and all high schools in Duval will be implementing enhanced security measures for the remainder of this week due to a series of potential threats that we have seen circulating on social media.”

Ledford said the call was to warn parents not to be surprised when they arrived at school on Thursday morning.

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A separate robotic call from Principal Melanie Hammer at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts conveyed the same message. Both principals thanked the students and parents for speaking out.

“We thank the students and parents who inform us about these posts and we will always take them seriously,” said Hammer.

Tracy Pierce, a spokesman for Duval County Public Schools, said parents and students could notice metal detectors. He said that some schools may have backpacking checks.

Pierce noted that it is close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial Day, and that the district typically sees an increase in this type of social media activity at this time of year.

On Thursday, News4Jax spoke with Dr. Saryn Hatcher, the director of Sandalwood. He said the day was quiet on campus and that students are responding well to increased security.

Things are happening normally.

The district is encouraging anyone who sees a threat on social media to share it with their school or police.

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News4Jax crime and security expert Ken Jefferson says it is critical that anyone with knowledge of violent social media conversations speak up.

“I always encourage anyone, if they have information, to pass this on to the police. It is for your protection and also for others. You can remain anonymous. The police will not disclose where they obtained the information from, ”he said.

One way to do this is to report suspicious activity in schools through the Fortify FL app or at www.getfortifyfl.com.

You can click on “Submit a tip online”, find your school and report it.

The website was created in response to the deadly shooting at the Parkland school three years ago, after authorities learned of a communication gap between security agencies and schools.