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 in Parkland, Fla., the number of threats of violence against schools across the country has increased.


Educators School Safety Network says it recorded about 50 threats a day on average since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed.

The Ohio-based national organization that tracks school threats says that compares to about 10 threats a day on average.

Violent incidents or threats have occurred in 48 of the 50 states so far this school year, according to the network, with 10 states accounting for 48 percent of all the threats and incidents that have occurred so far.

The organization says California leads the list of schools that have had an increase in threats. Pennsylvania, New York, Florida and Illinois round out the top five.

, Congress, state and local officials are grappling with how to stop school shootings.


Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, who heads the nation's largest sheriff's department, says there is a "need to take every potential threat seriously."

Last week, two days after the Florida shooting, a school security officer overheard a student threatening to open fire at El Camino High School in Whittier, Calif.

Marino Chavez said he heard a 17-year-old male student say he was "going to shoot up the school sometime in the next three weeks."

The student claimed it was a joke, but a search of his home turned up two AR-15 rifles, 90 high-capacity magazines and two handguns, as The Associated Press reports:

Since the Florida mass shooting, the FBI has come under heavy criticism for not acting on a tip regarding threats made by the accused shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.

The early intervention in the California case showed the importance of heeding early warning signs. "The sheriff's department can only respond if they are told," school security officer Chavez said.


The threat at El Camino High School is the latest in California, according to the 

In St. Mary's County, Md., two teenage boys are facing charges for allegedly making threats of mass violence. Dozens of weapons, including semiautomatic rifles, handguns and ammunition, were recovered from the home of one of the suspects.

And there were more incidents across the country, according to the AP:

Crime, Law and Justice

Education News

Doreen McCallister

Author

Educators School Safety Network says it has recorded about 50 threats a day on average since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, compared with about 10 a day on average.

Threats against schools increase since Florida shooting

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