Students and faculty at Newsome High School in Hillsborough County will see a heightened security presence on campus starting today, following a series of threats that temporarily escalated fears of potential violence last week. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office confirmed their intention to bolster security measures to "ensure the safety of all students, teachers and staff," according to a WTSP report.
This decision follows the events of last Friday when Newsome High School was locked down after threats were posted to Fortify Florida — a suspicious activity reporting site. The threats included a mention of shooting a teacher and bringing a bomb to campus. "As we continue to investigate the threat made last week and in an abundance of caution, you will notice an increased presence of #teamHCSO at the school," deputies stated in a Facebook post. They also asked for the community's patience amid anticipated delays at the start of the school day.
During the lockdown, approximately 200 members of the sheriff's office conducted thorough searches of the buildings and helped in the evacuation of students to secured areas. Despite the extensive efforts, no weapons were found and no arrests were made. In a WFLA report, Chief John Newman addressed the issue of the threats, stating, "Many of them say I didn’t mean it or it was just a joke but you disrupted the operations of an entire campus because of your joke." Sheriff Chad Chronister referred to the incident as a "fake threat," reassuring that a rigorous search procedure today aims to confirm the safety of everyone on campus.
Following the incidents, family members expressed their concerns, with Emma Dewey, the sister of a student, mentioning to WFLA how traumatizing the events were. "I think honestly for any kid not knowing what’s going on and being searched is any type of traumatic experience," Dewey said. The sheriff's office emphasized their understanding of the community's distress, Sheriff Chronister said, "no one should ever have to feel that fear or uncertainty." The office hopes that the additional security measures introduced today will help ease some of the anxiety caused by last week's events.
