BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – An anonymous bomb threat was issued against over 40 school districts across the state on Tuesday evening, according to Central Florida district officials.
Brevard County Public Schools was among the first to issue a news release describing threats that had been made via a group email sent out to the different districts.
However, district officials added that there is no indication of danger posed to schools.
“These threats are not considered credible and appear to be part of a hoax intended to solicit money,” the release reads.
Now, the sheriff’s office and FBI are looking into the origin of these messages, according to the release.
Sumter County’s school district said in a statement that it was among those that got the threat, too.
“The Sumter County School District has been made aware of a possible threat to schools circulating through a ‘swatting’ email thread. Districts across the State of Florida have received this same message,“ the statement reads. ”While we do not believe this to be a credible threat, we are taking it seriously and working closely with our local and state law enforcement partners to keep everyone safe.”
There would be an increased law-enforcement presence on Sumter campuses Wednesday out of an abundance of caution, the district said.
A spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools initially said their district had not received the threat — only that they were aware of it — yet they later reported in a message to families and staff that they did get the same email.
“We wanted to inform you that a widespread email was sent to over 40 districts in the State of Florida last night, and our district received the same email, regarding bombs being placed in schools and demanding payment in bitcoin. The FBI is actively tracking the source of the email and believes this to be a hoax,” Katherine Crnkovich, Seminole County Public Schools communications officer, said in a statement. “Our law enforcement officers are aware of this situation and are working closely with the FBI and Homeland Security to address this incident.”
District officials had no reason to believe there was any credibility to the email, Crnkovich said, adding all school resource officers and deputies were aware of the situation.
When asked, the school districts for Volusia, Orange and Osceola counties said they had not received the email.
No additional information has been provided about the incident at this time.
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