Did you spot one of the AI-generated \u2018Cat in the Hat\u2019 posts threatening schools? Here\u2019s what officials need you to do<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cThankfully, our student was able to get away and arrived safely at school without harm,\u201d Quarles-Gaston wrote. \u201cThe Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office and School Police were immediately notified, and an investigation is underway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quarles-Gaston used the message as an opportunity to remind families about basic safety strategies, urging students to use the buddy system and avoid walking alone whenever possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a stranger approaches you, you do not have to speak to him or her,\u201d the principal wrote. \u201cNever approach a stranger in a motor vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quarles-Gaston also advised students never to go anywhere with someone they do not know, even if that person offers treats, toys or pets.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him or her from pulling you away or dragging you into his or her car,\u201d she wrote. \u201cDrop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also encouraged students to draw attention to themselves if someone attempts to take them.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIf someone is dragging you away, scream, \u2018this is not my dad,\u2019 or \u2018this is not my mom.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Students were also reminded to try to memorize a suspicious vehicle\u2019s license plate number and immediately report it to a trusted adult.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety of our students is always a top priority, whether they are inside the building or traveling to and from school,\u201d Quarles-Gaston wrote. \u201cThank you for your continued partnership and support as we work to keep our students safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darrin Bauford, who lives in the neighborhood across from the school, said keeping an eye on children walking to and from school has become part of her routine. She said she has lived in the area for 11 years and had never heard of anything like this happening before.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they\u2019re not looking. The children are very vulnerable. They\u2019re not aware of all the hidden dangers and unhidden dangers,\u201d Bauford said.<\/p>\n
Bauford said she sometimes watches children from her vehicle as they walk home, making sure they safely reach the next stop sign before continuing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just don\u2019t know. We don\u2019t know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bauford said the incident has made her even more alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to alarm our children. I think that\u2019s very alarming now. It makes me kind of amp up about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
News4Jax went to the school\u2019s front office to speak with the principal, but staff members said she was unavailable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A stranger reportedly attempted to lure a student into a vehicle near Lone Star Elementary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1040,1039,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-394391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-dcps","tag-duval-county","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}