Social media threat targeting Florida middle school considered non-credible; authorities notified

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - The Seminole County School District said a social media threat that began to spread last week is not believed to be credible, and that the district has alerted Casselberry Police and Seminole County Sheriff's Office to investigate.

In an email sent to parents on Sunday, South Seminole Middle School said it learned of the perceived social media post on Friday, and immediately alerted authorities. According to the letter, a social media message titled "Drop Dead Tuesdays" was apparently being sent to students' cell phones via Apple's AirDrop feature, which allows people to send messages, photos, and videos to others outside of a text message.

"We are currently working with these law enforcement agencies to complete a thorough investigation. At this time the message is believed to be a non-credible threat," the school said in its email.

The district also warned students against mimicking these threats and spreading them on social media.

"In situations such as this, we like to request that you take a moment to remind your children that if they ever see, hear, or know of a threat to an individual or to our school, they are to report it immediately to their teachers, administrators, and/or School Resource Officer (SRO) or Deputy (SRD)," the district said.

"In addition, we wish to discourage our students from mimicking this kind of behavior and spreading it on social media. We are highly motivated to put an end to disruptive behaviors on our campus. Although we know these types of threats are often perpetuated for the purpose of disrupting learning, we take these threats very seriously and will fully investigate each one."

School officials said students who make these types of threats will face serious consequences, such as possible expulsion, alternative school placement, or criminal charges.