Sarasota middle school student suspended, held for alleged threat to local elementary school

A 12-year-old Sarasota Middle School student is being evaluated under the state's Baker Act after Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies found evidence they believed indicated that the student "poses a significant danger of causing injury to others in the near future."

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office was contacted by the Sarasota County Schools Police on Aug. 17 to conduct a threat assessment of a student who was suspended for repeated behavior problems, according to court records.

When deputies searched the student's home after getting consent from the parents, they reported finding multiple, unsecured firearms inside the home belonging to the father. Further search of the student's bedroom revealed two maps of the student's former school, Lakeview Elementary School, which included markings noting the location of security cameras and the location of two specific teachers.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is not identifying the student because he is a minor.

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Officers confirmed with the student that the maps belonged to him and included language about "destroying" and "eliminating" the teachers, according to court records.

"It was believed that what Respondent wrote on the map is a direct threat to the school, students and two teachers at the school," the incident report in the case states.

The Baker Act gives Florida police and doctors the power to place an individual into involuntary mental health treatment for up to 72 hours as a way to protect the person from harming themselves or others.

The student was taken to Bayside Center for Behavior Health for treatment, according to the incident report entered in the court filing.

A detective on the case entered a motion for a temporary protection order on Aug. 18, which would require the respondent to surrender all firearms and ammunition immediately to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

Sarasota Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug granted the motion the same day and an evidentiary hearing is scheduled for Friday to determine if a final risk protection order will be issued.

Sarasota School District responds to concerns from parents

In response to concerns raised by parents about how the School District communicated the potential threat, a spokesperson with the district relayed three messages that were sent to Lakeview Elementary School and Sarasota Middle School families.

According to an email sent to a Herald-Tribune reporter, Lakeview Elementary sent a message to their families on Sunday evening and an updated message on Tuesday night about the alleged threat, ensuring families that the possible threat was being investigated and that there was no active threat to the school community.

The messages, from Principal Lisa Wheatley, relayed to parents that there was a "potential threat made against our school" that was intercepted by district staff and local law enforcement.

"Per the school district’s safety procedures, our school-based police department and local law enforcement partners are engaged in an ongoing investigation regarding this matter. It is important to note that there currently is no active threat to the school community," the message from Sunday evening in part said.

Wheatley added in Sunday's message that there would be additional staff on campus, and they would update families as more information became available.

In the message sent to Sarasota Middle School families Tuesday night, parents were alerted that there had been an alleged threat made by a Sarasota Middle School student and that local law enforcement was investigating. The message assured parents there wasn't an active threat against Sarasota Middle School or any other schools in the district, however, parents were not told exactly what the alleged threat had been.

"The school district takes every threat – real, hoax, or perceived – very seriously and will thoroughly investigate each one," the message by Principal Jennifer Nzeza said. "Our school follows all Florida Department of Education protocols and all Office of Safe Schools protocols. As an additional reminder, our school has a single point of entry, all doors are locked, and our campus is monitored 24 hours a day through video surveillance."

Jennifer Gentile, the parent of a student at Lakeview Elementary, said the district didn't communicate the extent of the threat well enough with parents. She sent an email to the district and the School Board Wednesday seeking more transparency.

In an interview, Gentile said she wouldn’t have sent her child to school if she’d known more.

“I value their education, but I value their life more,” she said. "If they missed the week of school it wouldn't make or break them.”

In the future, she said she hopes the district will provide more detail in messages to families, but she said she also recognizes that there's information that the district can’t immediately provide given the situation.

Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota student suspended, held as potential threat against school