FCSO: Student Facing Felony After Making Campus Threat

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Palm Coast, FL - A Flagler County middle school student is facing a second-degree felony charge for threatening to shoot up her school after a teacher reprimanded her for a dress code violation.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says it happened today at Buddy Taylor Middle School.

FCSO spokesperson Anna Hackett says this particular student - who was not identified by FCSO - is 15 years old and has a history of causing trouble in the school.

"When the teacher addressed the student for being out of dress code, the student engaged in a verbal argument with the teacher and escalated to flipping chairs and throwing desks in the classroom," Hackett added. "A school resource deputy was called for assistance."

The girl was initially facing a misdemeanor charge after she threatened to kill herself in front of the deputy along with stating that she wanted to kill the teacher, the deputy himself and other students, per Hackett.

"The 15-year-old [student] then threatened to shoot up the school, which prompted deputies to assess the situation beyond a disruption to school functions to now include threatening to discharge a destructive device," Hackett noted.

The girl has since been Baker Acted. The State Attorney’s Office will now decide if they wish to prosecute, according to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure school safety,” Staly added. "Our deputies handled the mental health and behavior issues well and, hopefully, this student will get the help she needs. However, we will not tolerate anyone making threats to harm our students, faculty or schools."