Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie is explaining heightened security measures and concerns about safety to parents as another school deals with anonymous violent threats ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting.
Multiple threats toward Pioneer Middle School over the past 72 hours prompted high security on Monday from BSO deputies at the Cooper City campus.
Detectives say a parent said his daughter overheard a student say he was going to shoot up the school on Valentine's Day. Another teacher reported that a group of students received threatening phone calls about violence toward the school.
"Our deputies, of course, are keenly aware that leading up to the anniversary of the MSD shooting, there could be people who are seeking attention or want to harm others, so we are taking this very seriously," said Joy Oglesby of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Over the weekend, Runcie sent a message to parents encouraging them to talk to their children about the gravity of threats.
"We ask for you to assist us by speaking to your children about refraining from actions that would compromise school safety, such as student walkouts either out of class or off campus," Runcie said in the message.
Principal Mike Consaul of Pioneer Middle School said there will be an increased presence of BSO deputies on campus throughout the week and encouraged parents and students to "say something if you see something."
