A Venice High School student was apprehended on Tuesday in connection with a bomb threat directed towards the school, as reported by the Sarasota School District on their social media platform.
The student in question had allegedly posted the threat on social media and was subsequently reported anonymously to school authorities via FortifyFL early Tuesday morning, according to the district.
The Sarasota County Schools Police Department conducted an investigation into the matter and concluded that the student had made the threat as a “joke.” Nevertheless, the student was arrested due to the district’s strict adherence to its “zero-tolerance” policy regarding school threats.
No further details about the student or the nature of the threat are currently available. In their statement, the district encouraged families to review School Board Policy 5.32, which outlines the zero-tolerance stance on school-related offenses.
“Our school district has a zero-tolerance policy. Any student found to be making a threat against a school — be it verbal, written, or electronically — will be investigated by law enforcement and possibly arrested or removed from school. We take the safety and security of our school community extremely seriously,” the school district wrote.
Notably, this incident occurred on the same day that Superintendent Terry Connor was slated to visit Venice High School as part of his listening tour, aimed at engaging with the public through town-hall meetings.
Connor announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) just 20 minutes prior to the district’s statement about the threat that the town hall event would proceed as scheduled in the school’s cafeteria that evening.
The event is scheduled to take place from 5-6 p.m. for school employees and from 7-8 p.m. for community members
