After call for worldwide demonstrations, South Florida school districts remain vigilant
MIAMI - Both Miami-Dade and Broward Public School districts are working with federal, state, and local law enforcement, with safety as the top priority.
School officials and local enforcement continue to monitor threats to the community.
"The BCPS Safety and Security division is maintaining constant and ongoing communications with law enforcement intelligence... BCPS school security personnel are on and will remain on high alert."
Broward Schools sent out this phone message to parents on Thursday. It shared local law enforcement found no credible threat locally after the former Hamas chief called for worldwide demonstrations to support Palestinians on Friday.
The message comes days after the Hamas militant group attacked Israel last Saturday.
"I was working today when my daughter sent me social media posts that said Jewish children were going to be targeted tomorrow," said Cindy Arenberg Seltzer.
She attended an event in Fort Lauderdale Thursday, "Stronger Together: Broward's Latin Community Combats Antisemitism." While there, she told us, her daughter fears going to school.
"That is the goal of the terrorists is to scare us and stop us from living our lives," said Seltzer. "We can't do that. The way we fight back is to also live our life."
The Broward Sheriff's office issued a statement, writing in part: "We are in contact with members of our local religious organizations and our local, state and federal law enforcement counterparts."
The violence prompted police departments to increase patrol in some parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties earlier this week.
"Law enforcement is trying to be as vigilant as possible in sending out this information," said former FBI Special Agent Stuart Kaplan. "We don't want to create hysteria or panic, and we certainly don't want parents to, you know, keep their kids home from school."
Kaplan shared insight on how agencies work together to keep the public safe after the Hamas militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on a major Jewish holiday.
"Hamas is not a singular threat to just Israelis or Jews," added Kaplan. "They are an absolute threat to all of us here in the United States. The potential threat to all of us really puts a strain on our law enforcement community, and that is why the President of the United States should mobilize our military."
Miami-Dade Schools tweeted a statement after the call for worldwide demonstrations. It said in part: "We encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or behavior."