JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Landrum Middle school in Ponte Vedra was temporarily on lockdown following a threat that turned out to just be a hoax. 

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the school district are taking these threats seriously. 

In 2024, the State Attorney’s Office opened 85 cases of school and safety threats made by juveniles. Sixty of them were made in the first half of the 2024-25 school year.

Local law enforcement wants these kids to know, these threats are no joke.

“If you make a threat to our schools, we will not give you the benefit of the doubt,” said State Attorney Melissa Nelson. 

Monday morning in Ponte Vedra, parents and students at Landrum Middle School had a pretty unsettling start to their day.

The school was placed on lockdown after staff received a call from someone saying they were near the school, had a firearm and wanted to “kill children.”

These emails were sent to families of Landrum students alerting them at the start of lockdown and when it was later lifted.

An investigation by SJSO revealed the number was associated with an international calling code, similar to a swatting call, and the threat didn’t seem credible.

In a recent public service announcement from Nelson and Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, the message is pretty clear. These school threats will not be tolerated and there are serious consequences for these actions.

“No, it’s not a joke. don’t message, write, say or text any threat in any form,” Nelson said. 

“Your words have power so choose them wisely,” said Waters in the PSA. 

“Be a leader in your school,” Nelon said. “Not the kid being led out in handcuffs. A verbal or written threat is no laughing matter; in fact it’s a felony. a crime that can change your life and your future.”

For St. Johns County families who want to make sure they’re alerted when incidents happen, similar to the one at Landrum.

You can sign up to receive text messages updates with the district’s SchoolMessenger.

Just text ‘Yes’ to 67587 and be sure your number is on file at your child’s school.

The district tells First Coast News they work with law enforcement to investigate and communicate as timely as possible.