School districts across the country issued warnings, increased security and said classes on Friday in response to vague, anonymous gunfire and bomb threats on TikTok, which officials say are not believed to be credible.
Schools in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania will increase their police presence on Friday due to the threats, while schools in California, Minnesota, Missouri and Texas will remain closed for the day.
Classes at Las Cruces Public Schools continue, but the district noted that doing so could increase safety. The district sent a letter to the parents on Thursday evening stating:
Las Cruces Public Schools has become aware of a disturbing post that gained wide coverage on the TikTok social media platform this week. The Post cited a threat to school safety “for every school in the US, even elementary school” on Friday, December 17.
The post seems to be part of a national TikTok trend and does not come from our school district. We have heard reports from other districts that the same mail is circulating in their schools. Although we do not consider the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously.
The district has also contacted Las Cruces police about the post. As an additional precautionary measure, we can have an increased police presence in our buildings on Friday.
This situation is a good example of why it is important to avoid posting online that addresses school safety threats. Even if they don’t pose a credible threat, they can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activities and talk to them about proper online behavior.
If you or your child becomes aware of a potential threat posted on social media or elsewhere, please notify a school staff or trusted adult immediately.
As always, thank you for partnering with us as we work to provide a safe and positive learning environment for our students.
Meanwhile, TikTok said in a statement posted on Twitter that it had not found any such threats on its platform.
“We even deal with threat rumors with the utmost seriousness,” the statement said, “so we are working with law enforcement to investigate warnings of potential violence in schools, even though we have not found any evidence that such threats are occurring originate from or spread from TikTok.
Threats from school shootings, arrests related to TikTok trends
The threats stem from a fatal shootout in Michigan and numerous counterfeit threats at other schools.
And in the fall, students across the United States were arrested for participating in the “devil licks” trend involving the theft or vandalism of school property. Another list circulating on the internet encouraged students to “hit a co-worker,” “mess up school signs,” “turn the front office over,” “kiss your boyfriend’s girlfriend at school,” and “stab in the chest” potentially leading to chaos in schools.
Two weeks ago:Las Cruces Public Schools comment on threats that are not considered credible
According to local media reports, some students in California, Florida and Texas were arrested earlier this week for allegedly making threats and bringing guns into the school, but officials have not said the arrests are related to the reported TikTok threats.
The rumored threats outraged educators across the country, which was overwhelmed by the chaos of teaching during a pandemic.
“Whether done as a joke or maliciously, it is unacceptable,” Iowa State Education Association officials said in a joint statement.
Internet companies like TikTok are generally exempt from liability under US law for the content of users who post on their networks, thanks in large part to the legal “safe haven” they provide under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 .
Featuring: N’dea Yancey-Bragg of USA TODAY and The Associated Press
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