JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A bomb threat Tuesday at LaVilla School of the Arts kept just over 1,000 middle schoolers off the campus most of the day and caused headaches for their parents.
Duval County school police and administrators evacuated staff from the school about an hour before the opening bell after a series of threats on social media were discovered. Arriving students were directed to the Prime Osborn Convention Center, where they spent the first hour of the day. They were evacuated again about 11 a.m. while police, the bomb squad and K-9s conducted a secondary search of the school.
"It was a mess because we were in here first and then we had to go all the way back to my school, and then come all the way back," eighth-grader Chyna Toban said.
The school sent out messages to parents they could pick up their students before 11 a.m. at the school, or later at the convention center, where the line for pickup stretched around the building.
"An hour and a half from beginning to end," parent Leo Toban said. "(In the) middle of my workday."
News4Jax found the Instagram account where students said someone was threatening to kill students. Detectives are investigating to find out how credible the threats were and who was behind them. Until then, school officials were being careful.
"I just hope something is done to whoever is making a threat, because our kid's safety is involved and it is jeopardizing their education," parent Sarah Williams said.
Investigators ask anyone who knows who made the threats to call either Duval County School Board Police at 904-858-6100 or the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.
Not only was the threat and evacuation an inconvenience, it costs taxpayers a lot of money. Law enforcement officers spent most of the day either searching the school or detouring traffic around the campus, the school district had to bus students to the convention center -- twice -- feed them lunch and keep them there most of the day.
District staff joined school administrators dealing with the students who were evacuated and the parents who rushed to pick them up.
"I feel like it's all hands on deck; a lot of district people," parent Leah Goodwyne said. "It's not ideal, but I think it's a good plan to keep the kids safe and make sure the parents know what's going on."
While the total costs won't be tabulated for a while, it is expected to be significant.
"You do use a lot of time and resources for these type of things, and it can be quite costly," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said. "Of course, school administrators know it's probably not a bona fide threat, but they have to error on the side of safety."
According to a CNBC investigation, districts across the United States reported losses of more than $250,000 from school closings and bomb squad searches. Last year, when administrators closed all public schools in Los Angeles for one day because of threats, it cost the city $29 million, including losses of state funding for shortened class time or lower attendance.
It also cost parents money for leaving their job and standing in the long line for pickup.
"I am losing productivity for my job, and I will probably have to make it up some way," parent Toban said.