New Orleans area officials react swiftly to 'extreme' amount of school-related threats Thursday

One student in Jefferson Parish allegedly turned up in a picture on social media next to the caption, “future school shooter.”

In New Orleans, officials said, a teenager made threatening statements on Instagram about students and staff at Dr. King Charter School.

Whether it is a coincidental uptick or the result of heightened vigilance on the part of residents and law enforcement in the wake of last week's deadly mass shooting in Florida, at least four young men have been arrested in the New Orleans metro area this week on allegations of making school-related threats. At least two other teens were cited for non-criminal offenses following similar allegations.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said his agency's policies on when to act in the case of social media posts or other threats haven't changed since the Florida shooting. But he acknowledged that the number of recent complaints has been “extreme.”

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