New video by Collier County schools warns crackdown on student threats

The Collier County Public Schools released a video on Tuesday addressing a crackdown on school threats. The video tells students, “if they see something, say something.” Hours earlier, a teenager at Gulf Coast High School was arrested for a threat at Pine Ridge Middle School.

Gary Datro’s son came home from school and knew about the threat. It was a perfect time to talk about the severity of the crime.

“That’s something that we have to try to embed to our children that these threats are very serious,” Datro said.

Chad Oliver, the public information officer for CCPS, warns students to be careful with the decisions they make because it could affect the rest of their lives.

The school district is planning on sharing the video with students at school. It is also sharing the many different ways kids can report a threat, like through a fortified Florida app telling an adult or calling the sheriff’s office.

Parents WINK News spoke with said the threat made them nervous.

“I will admit it does worry me,” Datro said. “What happened in south Florida last year, the year before shows you that it can happen anywhere.”

“I was like in shock, to be honest with you,” said Eric Pantoja, who lives in Naples. “I never hear that in Naples, Collier County.”

Parents hope the school district’s message gets across to students.

“School safety isn’t a joking matter,” Oliver said. “It’s not a joke to threaten another student.”