Superintendent admits handling of Mandarin High threat didn’t go as smoothly as “preferred”

Jacksonville, FL — In a voicemail to parents, Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene is apologizing for what she’s calling a “stressful day” at Mandarin High School.

Students sat outside, in the heat, for several hours in the football field bleachers, because of a bomb threat. Although some parents came to the campus to try to get their children, the students were held, while the building was swept by police. Dismissal was delayed about 20 minutes in all.

Parents were first informed about the bomb threat through an earlier voicemail recorded by the school’s principal, where he said JSO had received a threat directed toward the school last night on social media. The voicemail said the building had been cleared, but all students would be searched as they got to the campus this morning as a precaution.

The voicemail from Dr. Greene said school administration, teachers, students, and staff should be commended for how they handled the day, but it was a difficult day.

“I want to apologize to you and your children that things did not go as smoothly as we would have preferred them to,” she says.

She says the District, School Police, and staff have already debriefed on what happened, and found several areas where she says they should have done better.

“While today was not our best day as a school district, we will use what we’ve learned to be better in the future,” Green said.

The voicemail does not give specifics on what will be improved, but some parents were frustrated they didn’t find out about the threat earlier, and that the students were left in an open stadium in the heat for so long.