CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A 14-year-old Clay High School student has been arrested after investigators determined he was responsible for writing a school shooting threat on a bathroom wall and then reporting it to school administrators, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
The threat, reported Oct. 5, 2026, warned that a shooting would occur at the school during the first week of November.
The student’s report prompted an investigation by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Clay County District Schools.
Student Reported Threat to School Administrators
According to the sheriff’s office, the 14-year-old initially approached school administrators Oct. 5 to report a threatening message written on a bathroom wall.
The message indicated that a school shooting would take place during the first week of November.
School officials immediately notified the school’s resource officer, who began investigating the threat.
Working with Clay County District Schools, investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the message and eventually determined that the student who reported it was also the person who wrote it.
Authorities did not disclose how investigators linked the student to the writing or what motivated the alleged threat.
Juvenile Arrested, Transported to Detention Center
Following the investigation, deputies arrested the student on a charge of making written or electronic threats to kill, cause bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism.
The charge falls under Florida Statute 836.10(2), which prohibits communicating written or electronic threats to harm another person or carry out a mass shooting or terrorist act.
The student was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Duval County Detention Center.
School officials also plan to take disciplinary action in accordance with the Clay County District Schools Student Code of Conduct.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, authorities did not release the student’s identity.
The sheriff’s office did not report any evidence that a shooting was being planned beyond the threatening message.
Sheriff’s Office Encourages Students to Report Threats
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that all threats involving schools are taken seriously, regardless of the circumstances.
The agency also thanked Clay County District Schools for its cooperation throughout the investigation.
“Our schools are places for growing and learning without fear or harm,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Authorities encouraged students, parents and community members to continue reporting suspicious activity or potential threats rather than ignoring them.
School threats or suspicious activity can be reported through the FortifyFL app, the SaferWatch app or by contacting the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904-264-6512.