PARRISH, Fla. — The Manatee County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of three Parrish Community High School (PCHS) students Thursday.

Two are accused of posting videos to TikTok that simulate mass shootings, while the third allegedly made a false tip through the Fortify Florida app, a tool students can use to report suspicious activity.

This comes after a Buffalo Creek Middle School student was arrested earlier in the week, also for reportedly posting a threatening video.

"The message has been told to these kids multiple times that you make these threats, whether it's verbal, especially the written ones, you're going to have the consequences that go with it, and that's going to be criminal charges," said Randy Warren, public information officer with the sheriff's office, during a news conference addressing the arrests related to the videos.

The sheriff's office said it's conducting multiple investigations into a series of threats made against PCHS this month through Fortify Florida. One led to students being evacuated to outside bleachers on Tuesday. 

Warren said it's not believed at this time that any of the video-related arrests are connected to the earlier threats. The sheriff's office said the videos simulate mass shootings with a toy gun. Warren said both were made during the evacuation.

"There's an app that they're using that has a filter, and it shows a gun," Warren said. "It all falls right into this statute of portraying a mass shooting, and that's what they're being arrested for."

The arrests are the latest update in a situation that Sarah Moshier said has been tough to process as a parent of two PCHS students.

"We feel like we live in this really safe, small town. There's so many good people in this town, and it doesn't feel like this could really be happening here," Moshier said. 

Moshier said her children, a freshman and a senior, were among those evacuated on Tuesday.

"That was very distressing, and it was distressing for me as a parent because I didn't know where to go. Like, I can't walk across the street and get them," she said.

The sheriff's office has not released the videos involved in their investigations. According to Moshier, her children told her a number of students were on TikTok using a filter like the one described by Warren.

"They're hot, they're tired. There's this trending thing going on, and so shame on TikTok, first of all, for even initiating something of that sort," Moshier said.

"There is the possibility that there could be other videos out there," Warren said. "We don't know exactly how many videos were created during the time when students were sitting out there. Some students obviously not taking it very seriously but are now beginning to understand the consequences that go along with creating these videos and posting them on social media."

Those students are charged with making written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting, a second degree felony. 

"It's a felony. So, yes — it's going to have an impact on any kid that does this because you could be trying to get into college in a couple of years. It's a criminal charge that stays on your record. It's extremely serious, and they've got to understand the consequences of doing — not only in a selfish way of thinking about what it's going to do for their future. Think about the disruption that it's causing for the schools, the amount of fear, the anxiety, and the potential chaos that exists. They've got to understand this is no joke," Warren said.

Warren urged parents to monitor what their children are doing on social media and to talk with them about the potential consequences of making a threat.

According to the sheriff's office, the student accused of making the false tip is charged with disruption of an educational institution, a second degree misdemeanor. That student reportedly confessed to detectives, saying the false report was meant "as a joke". 

Moshier said she'd like to see more action taken by the district or possibly see the state weigh in on how PCHS moves forward until the investigations into the threats are resolved. 

"I think there needs to be some guidance coming down the line to make a decision. Do we shut school down for a little bit? Maybe we go to online learning. I know people hate that. We all are traumatized by that. Nobody wants to do that, but it's about what's best for our kids," she said. 

The sheriff's office said multiple investigations into the threats are ongoing.