Pasco student, 13, arrested on charges of making threats to Rushe Middle School

A 13-year-old student has been arrested in connection with a series of threats to schools that were posted on social media that officials said caused “hours-long disruptions” at several schools.

The student was arrested on charges of making written threats to kill, disruption of a school function and making a false report to law enforcement, according to a news release from Pasco County Schools.

The student made threats aimed at Charles R. Rushe Middle School, which resulted in both that school and Sunlake High School, which is adjacent to it, being placed on “Controlled Campus status,” in which the movement of students and staff is limited and no one is allowed to exit the campus.

“Two other nearby schools were affected to a lesser extent,” the schools news release states.

“At no time were students or staff in any danger. However, the threats resulted in disruption to the school day and the devotion of significant time and effort by law enforcement and school officials,” the news release states.

“It’s frustrating and concerning to have these disruptions at our schools, but I want parents to know that we will always err on the side of caution and will keep parents informed,” Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning said in the news release. “Also, I want students to know that making anonymous threats is not a joke; it’s a crime.

School officials noted in the news release that this was the second person to be arrested on charges like this over the last couple weeks. In the previous case, a former student was arrested on Jan. 26 on charges that they made threats, which resulted in disruptions to Sunlake High and Rushe Middle.