JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There was a large police presence at Frank H. Peterson Academies on Wednesday morning.
The school was under a “Code Yellow” alert after reports of gunshots near the campus.
When the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrived they immediately started investigating and said there was no validity to those reports.
Even though there was no real threat to the school, parents said their mind automatically goes to the worst thing whenever there is any kind of school safety issue in the city.
According to Duval County Public Schools, there have been nearly 300 threats to schools since the start of this school year in August through mid-February.
“Every day you have to worry about is it my child’s school today or is it my neighbor’s child’s school, is it my family member,” one parent told News4JAX.
Catina Baptiste said her son sent her a text message from inside school telling her about the Code Yellow on Wednesday.
“It’s just scary being at work and getting a text from your child,” Baptiste said. “With a school just being shot up, it just raises your anxiety level.”
It’s a common feeling for parents after numerous threats to schools around the country.
News4JAX recently put in a public records request with DCPS for the number of bomb threats, shooting threats and threats over social media.
It shows that during the 2022-23 school year up until Feb. 14, there were 276 total assessed threats. Ten of those threats were at Frank H. Peterson. The school with the most threats was Mayport Middle School with 17.
The threat assessment total from Jan. 1 to May 27, 2022, was 160, that’s almost a 100 threat difference from this year. Lake Shore Middle had the most threats with 11 that school year.
“How traumatized do you want these children to be about school?” one parent said. “School is supposed to be a fun experience. You’re supposed to be thinking about ‘We have a school dance coming up’ or a school event coming up, not should I be worried about somebody shooting up the school or blowing it up.”
For a full list of all the DCPS threat assessments this school year, read the list below: