St. Johns County Schools investigating AI-generated 'Cat in the Hat' threats to district schools

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A concerning nationwide social media trend has made its way to St. Johns County schools, and the district is telling parents they are working with law enforcement to investigate this content. In a message to St. Johns County School District parents, Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen said the district is working with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Education to review and monitor AI-generated social media content involving the Dr. Seuss character "The Cat in the Hat," making threats against district schools. More in Local The posts often show a menacing, life-sized version of the character near schools, homes, or windows. Some include school names, towns, student names, or threatening captions. Asplen said no credible direct or indirect threats have been identified at this time, adding that normal school operations and schedules will resume tomorrow following the Labor Day holiday. "We take the safety of our students and staff seriously and will share additional updates if new information becomes available," Asplen said in the message. First Coast News reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office for more details on the investigation, and for specific schools that were targeted. We will update this article with that information when it comes in.