The superintendent for the Collier County Public School District addressed media Thursday, in an attempt to clear up the confusion caused by a concerning social media post. The unknown sender of the post - which the Collier County Sheriff's Office deemed was not a credible threat - mentioned that the sender had heard that someone might "shoot up a school," and that the supposed gunman went to Gulf Coast High School.
Once word got around about the post Wednesday, many parents picked their students up from the school.
"We got right on that," said Dr. Kamela Patton, superintendent for Collier County Public Schools. "The Sheriff's Office worked with us to say, 'we don't deem it a credible threat.' But if they did, what would we do? We'd go into lockdown, and the parents would know that."
Patton urges people not to spread rumor or cause panic, but to report anything they think might be a real threat.
While President Trump supports the idea of arming a small percentage of teachers, Patton said it wasn't something currently being considered for schools in Collier County.
"No," she said. "As we work with the Sheriff's Office, we're very fortunate that our sheriff provides us those services."
The Collier County Sheriff's Office increased its deputy presence at all schools in the county, after last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Patton said that if there is ever a credible threat requiring a lockdown at any Collier County schools, parents would be notified immediately by phone, text or email.
