PALM COAST, Florida – An 11-year-old student was arrested Tuesday after investigators determined she wrote a shooting threat on a bathroom wall at Indian Trails Middle School in Flagler County, authorities said.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, a School Resource Deputy was alerted to the message, which read “school shooting Feb 4th:)” and was discovered inside a school bathroom. School administrators and the deputy immediately began an investigation to identify the person responsible.
Officials said the student admitted writing the message and told investigators she had been dared to do so by someone she communicated with only online. She also stated she was bored and did not believe the message would be taken seriously.
“This behavior is never tolerated on any of our Flagler Schools campuses,” said LaShakia Moore, superintendent of Flagler Schools. Moore said threats against students are handled in coordination with law enforcement and emphasized that student safety is the district’s top priority.
Rick Staly said the case highlights the importance of having deputies assigned to school campuses. “School safety is our top priority, and we take every threat seriously,” Staly said. “This is a great example of why we have School Resource Deputies on every Flagler Schools campus.”
The sheriff’s office urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity and warned against communicating with unknown individuals online. Authorities encouraged students and parents to report threats immediately by calling 911, or to submit non-emergency tips through the Fortify App or the sheriff’s office website.
The juvenile was arrested on a charge of making a written threat to commit a mass shooting or terrorism act. She was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
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