GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – An 8th grade student has been arrested in connection with bomb threats that forced the evacuation of two Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) today and ultimately led to the cancellation of classes.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) says the student is a 13-year-old female who attends Kanapaha Middle School (KMS). ACSO released the name of the student on its Facebook page.
Editorial Note: 352today is not reporting the name of the student on our website since the accused teen is a juvenile.
The student faces multiple felony charges including written or electronic threats to commit an act of terrorism and faces expulsion under the state’s zero tolerance policy; as well as criminal prosecution.
352today reported the events in real-time throughout the day.
Here’s a recap of the timeline of events.
8:13 a.m. – Schools Evacuated
Shortly after 8 a.m. this morning, ACPS notified parents that Kanapaha Middle (KMS) and Buchholz High Schools (BHS) had been evacuated and were on lockdown due to bomb threats. Law enforcement responded to both schools to conduct sweeps.
~8:30 a.m. – Threat Sent by Email
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) posted on its Facebook page that a bomb threat was sent by email to an administrator at BHS. ACSO says deputies, K-9 Units and the Bomb Squad were notified. They said the school was immediately locked down, as students had not yet arrived on campus. While investigating that incident, ACSO says deputies then learned of a second threat that was received at KMS, which ACSO says prompted the same response protocol. ACSO stated explosive detection dogs and bomb squad technicians were used to search the interior of each school.
11:07 a.m. – Classes Cancelled
Just after 11 a.m., the district cancelled classes at both schools as law enforcement continued to check both campuses. The district said buses would take Buchholz students to their regular bus stops. By that time, the district said almost all of the Kanapaha students had already been picked up by their families.
11:31 a.m. – All Clear at BHS
Law enforcement gave an “all clear” status at Buchholz High School stating that a sweep of the campus turned up nothing suspicious. At that point, the sweep of the Kanapaha Middle School campus was still underway.
11:47 a.m. – Both Campuses Clear
Just before noon, the district stated law enforcement had given “the all” clear at both campuses and the search turned up nothing suspicious. Meantime, law enforcement continued investigating the source of the threats and urged anyone with information to report it.
~6:30 p. m. – 8th Grade Student Arrested
Around 6:30 p.m., ACPS announced that an 8th grade student had been arrested in connection with the bomb threats.
~7:50 p.m. – ACSO Identifies Student
Just before 8 p.m. Monday, ACSO posted on its Facebook page more information about the student arrested in the case. They identified the student as a 13-year-old who is currently enrolled as an 8th grade female student at KMS. According to ACSO, the student confessed to sending both threats. As previously reported above, ACSO released the name of the student on its Facebook page. But 352today is not reporting the name of the student on our website since the accused teen is a juvenile.
The student has been charged with the following:
- Fl. State Statute 836.10 – Written or electronic threats to commit an act of terrorism
- Fl. State Statute 877.13 – Disruption of a school function
- Fl. State Statute 934.215 – Unlawful use of a two-way communication device
ACSO says the student was transported to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, where she was turned over to their custody.
Bomb threats fall under the Florida Department of Education’s (FLDOE) zero-tolerance policy. According to the FLDOE website, bomb threats and false bomb reports are considered felony offenses and require expulsion for at least one year and referral for prosecution.