Special to Lake Okeechobee News
Okeechobee County schools under Shelter in Place order after concerning 911 call
Okeechobee County Schools are temporarilly under a Shelter in Place order after a concerning 911 call.
Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office released this information on their Facebook page:
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Okeechobee County City Police Department is currently investigating a threatening telephone call involving schools within Okeechobee County.
A short time ago, the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office 911 Operations Center received a call threatening an act of violence at one of our area schools. The information provided by the caller was vague and did not identify a specific school or provide specific details regarding the nature of the threatened attack. The caller did, however, reference a general timeframe.
Immediately upon receiving the call, law enforcement and school officials initiated established safety protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, schools were placed on lockdown while law enforcement responded.
Deputies with the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, along with officers from the Okeechobee City Police Department, were immediately deployed to provide additional security at schools throughout our community. This response included both public and private school campuses.
At this time, there is no known active threat to any Okeechobee County school, student, faculty member, or staff member.
The precautionary actions taken were intended to ensure our campuses remained secure while investigators worked to determine the source and credibility of the call.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the origin of the threat and is utilizing all available investigative resources. Every threat involving our schools is taken seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.
We understand that incidents of this nature are concerning to parents, students, school employees, and our community. We ask everyone to rely on information released through official sources and to avoid sharing rumors or unverified information on social media, as doing so can unnecessarily create fear and interfere with an active investigation.
The safety of our students and school personnel remains our highest priority.
We appreciate the immediate cooperation of the Okeechobee County School District, private school administrators, the Okeechobee City Police Department, and all responding personnel.
This remains an active investigation. Additional information will be released when appropriate.
