HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Within the past two weeks, the Hillsborough County School District reported it has been dealing with a rash of fake school threats—119 anonymous threats via the FortifyFL app and 62 fake threats on social media or via text message.
The stress of these threats can cause or worsen feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety in students.
That’s why ABC Action News sat down with Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein. She’s the co-director of the Center of Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
“This is a really challenging situation because these are real threats that our children experience, and they are potential things that could happen in our schools. The base rate of that is quite low but it is something where we want to be talking with our kids about what safety looks like at school, what the procedures are,” said Katzenstein.
She recommends parents ask their kids how they’re feeling this week.
“It doesn’t have to be the question of how did you feel about this that happened, but how are you feeling? How does it feel to be at school? Have they shared anything with you at school about what would happen in an active assailant situation? So that you get an idea of what your kid is comprehending and understanding and that might be the place for them to open up and share some of their thoughts as well,” said Katzenstein.
If your child seems worried, she said sitting with them and talking through their feelings and fears will go a long way.
“We need to utilize our good coping strategies in terms of deep breathing and being able to, you know, use the thought that these are less frequent situations that occur, right? And talking through that with our kids, calming them down,” said Katzenstein.
She also believes it’s important for parents to take the time to learn the school’s safety procedures so everyone is well informed.
“Truly, at the end of the day, we need to make sure that our kids know that they’re safe and their schools [are safe] and making sure that us as adults are putting every safety measure in place to ensure that their safety is there,” said Katzenstein.
Every kid is different, so if your child says they’re not struggling, Katzenstein encourages you to believe them, but let them know they can always share if that changes.
