Majority of Lake Mary High School students stay home because of shooting threat

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — School district officials said 85 percent of the students at Lake Mary High School stayed home Monday because of an unsubstantiated threat.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office increased its presence Monday morning at Lake Mary High School while students returned to classes after a shooting threat was found on campus.

The threat, which was found written on a bathroom wall last week, said a shooting was planned for Monday, deputies said.

“Monday February 13 2017 Bullets will fly don’t show up you have been warned,” the threat said.

"Most individuals are not going to tell you and telegraph when and where they're going to do something. They would do the element of surprise. So for us, we were pretty confident that we were prepared and treat it as if it was the real deal," said Michael Lawrence with the Seminole County School District.

Despite the empty threat, school officials said students were probably the safest Monday that they've been all year because of the extra security precautions.

"I usually see a full parking lot, usually up to the gate. This looks like a day off," said a passer-by.

The school district said that parents were notified about the threat.

In a letter to parents, Principal Michael Kotkin said that although the threat wasn’t found to be credible, administrators take seriously any threat that’s made.

Kotkin also said in the letter that there would be an increased law enforcement presence on campus Monday as a precaution.

The school district said students who stayed at home will be excused if they provide a note from a parent by Thursday.

No arrests have been made in connection with the threat. If caught, the person who wrote the note could also face criminal charges. Deputies said they're currently reviewing video from outside the bathroom and interviewing students to ask them if they knew anything.

Cox Media Group