SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Whether it was a joke or not, an image posted by a Facebook group called "Sarasota County School District Transparency Project" has gotten serious attention, including a report to the FBI.
The image in question shows a woman's head photoshopped over a person holding a gun and the phrase "Karens fight back!" It was shared by the group to their event page that called for parents and community members to show up at Tuesday's Sarasota County School Board meeting.
"We don't care if you call us Karen. Just don't call us late for The School Board Meeting," the event said.
The name "Karen" has become a pejorative slang term for "an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people's behaviors," according to Dictionary.com.
The image was reported to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is part of the FBI. It has since garnered more widespread attention after a story about it appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
However, while the image was reported to the JTTF, the school board said it was "standard procedure" and isn't considered a threat.
"This image, as a standard procedure, was sent to the JTTF-Joint Terrorism Task Force which falls under the FBI umbrella," spokesperson Craig Maniglia wrote in a statement. "Anytime there is an image of a gun associated with our school district, those images/posts are forwarded to the JTTF for investigation. At no time did we feel there was an imminent threat to the school district based on this post."
The Sarasota School Board has been in the spotlight recently as it considered whether or not to keep its face mask policy in district schools. During Tuesday's school board meeting, the Board voted 3-2 to extend the face mask policy through the end of the year.
As the policy stands now, all staff and students must wear face masks while on campus and school busses. There are some exceptions to wearing a mask, including for medical reasons, during breakfast or lunchtimes, and when outdoors and socially distanced.
Parents both for and against face masks in schools have been vocal about their thoughts on what the board should decide.
Recently, some parents against the policy in Sarasota County raised more than $11,000 to sue the school district. They are demanding that face masks be optional, not mandated in schools.
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