LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Students at a Pasco County middle school are resuming their first day of classes after being briefly evacuated due to a reported threat, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said the evacuation at Rushe Middle School was done "out of an abundance of caution" due to a bomb threat posted over the weekend on social media that was later reported to the sheriff's office.
Investigators said the school was "thoroughly" searched and nothing was found. And, the bomb threat was determined to be fake.
It had been posted in a social media thread that was created during last school year, deputies said.
Students at the Land O'Lakes school were able to return into the building a short time after being told to evacuate. Deputies add there is no threat to the school.
A parent told 10 Tampa Bay they have the option to pick up their students early in light of the evacuation and fake threat.
The sheriff's office stressed the importance of reporting threats and suspicious activities in a "timely fashion." You can call your local law enforcement to report such activity.
In Pasco County, you can call the Pasco Sheriff's Crime Tips Line at 1-800-706-2488 or online at PascoSheriff.com/tips.
Pasco County Schools, along with most schools across the Tampa Bay area, started the new school year today.