ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools on Thursday said it received a threatening email similar to ones received in school districts in Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Miami.
Orange County Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said during a news conference in Orlando that the email was sent to the district's general email late Wednesday. Law enforcement was notified and checked it out, and then schools opened Thursday morning.
Jenkins said principals in the nation's 10th largest school district have been asked to stay alert and keep students calm.
OCPS alerted parents about the threat.
"OCPS staff discovered a threatening email similar to those received in other large districts, including LA, NY, Miami, Houston and Broward, where they were deemed to be less than credible," the message said. "We have established communications with law enforcement agencies and are following appropriate protocol."
It's not known what specific arrangements were being made to increase security.
Officials in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Houston said they were beefing up security on campuses after receiving threats similar to the ones received by the Los Angeles and New York school districts earlier this week.
In Miami, school district police immediately contacted law enforcement agencies and decided to open schools.
In Houston, officials said law enforcement officers were making sweeps of school district buildings to ensure student safety. They encouraged parents and students to be vigilant Thursday morning and report any suspicious activity to police.
In a tweet sent Thursday morning, Broward County Public Schools in South Florida also said a threat had been received, but students should report to school as usual.