Some schools are cancelling classes on Friday, December 17th in the United States. According to reports, there are school shooting threats that are circulating on social media, mainly on TikTok.
Some schools are cancelling classes in US due to threats circulating in TikTok
A lot of school districts have closed down in response. In Texas, Minnesota, California and Missouri, many schools have already decided to close down for the week. Even so, there’s no evidence yet that the threats are real.
Many districts and law enforcement agencies are reporting that they’ve looked into it, but don’t view the threats as credible. Baltimore County Public Schools has shared its measures from Twitter:
(1/3) ALERT: BCPS has been made aware of an anonymous threat posted on TikTok targeting all schools in the United States. The post alleges that there are planned school shootings that will take place on Friday, December 17.
— Baltimore County Public Schools (@BaltCoPS) December 16, 2021
Those TikTok videos warn others about a supposed threat of shootings or bombings, which seem to have inspired others to create similar videos. TikTok says it has not found any specific content or videos that threaten schools:
We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we're working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 16, 2021
It’s reported that one school district in Little Falls, Minnesota, decided to cancel school on Friday after being informed about “a TikTok trend that emerged targeting Friday, December 17, as a day of threats of shootings and bombings in schools.”
Los Angles Unified shared a message regarding the situation:
Important message from @laschools regarding keeping our schools safe. We look forward to seeing everyone at school tomorrow!
Mensaje importante del Distrito Unificado de Los Ángeles sobre cómo mantener nuestras escuelas seguras. ¡Esperamos verlos a todos en la escuela mañana! pic.twitter.com/v2dt0X2v66— Los Angeles Unified (@LASchools) December 17, 2021
According to a post on the Little Falls Community Schools website, law enforcement determined via interviews that Little Falls was “specifically identified in a TikTok post related to this threat,” unlike other schools and school district that believe they haven’t specifically been named.
TikTok has its own Discord server now
Rumors about school shootings and other school-related threats have been making the rounds on TikTok. This year, there was a viral about a “slap a teacher” challenge which appeared to be not real.
