Getty A TikTok school shooting threat is causing concern
A TikTok school shooting threat is closing schools around the country today, December 17, 2021, but authorities say they don’t see evidence that it’s real.
According to ABC7, police in Chicago, where some schools closed due to the TikTok threat about shootings or bomb threats, do not believe it’s credible. Yet schools in many states were warning parents or closing their doors on Friday out of an abundance of caution.
The Department of Homeland Security wrote on Twitter, “DHS is aware of public reporting that suggests possible threats to schools on December 17, 2021. DHS does not have any information indicating any specific, credible threats to schools but recommends communities remain alert.”
Parents took to Facebook to express concern. “Is anyone planning on keeping their kids home tomorrow due to the National TikTok threat? Am I overreacting?” wrote one.
The Nampa School District in Idaho said, according to a statement by police there: “While we take every threat seriously, it would be helpful to stem the tide of these rumors, reducing or eliminating the panicked responses that may occur. We encourage you as our partner in your child’s education to alert your school staff to any perceived threats.”
That seemed to be the sentiment around the country: Be cautious, but don’t overreact.
Here’s what you need to know:
TikTok Videos Warned People to Be Careful of a ‘Mass School Shooting Threat’ on December 17
@tips_tips48♬ d o w n – ➷｡˚𝐬𝐚𝐯 ೃ࿔₊
On TikTok, people created videos warning parents and youth of the threat, sending the threat viral across the nation.
“My child and her friend just showed me this video that is going viral about a massive school shooting threat across America on 12/17/21.
This needs to be shared. Wake up, world,” a parent wrote on Facebook from New York.
The Post Referred to a School Safety Threat ‘For Every School in the USA’
The Union School District in Rimersberg, Pennsylvania, was one to warn parents of the threat. The message that district sent out on its Facebook page was similar to others’.
“The Union School District has become aware of a troubling post that has been shared widely this week on the social media platform TikTok. The post refers to a threat to school safety ‘for every school in the USA, even elementary,’ on Friday, December 17,” the district revealed.
“The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district. We have heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. While we do not believe the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously.” The press release was titled “Troubling TikTok Posts.”
The Citrus County School District in Florida wrote on Facebook, “We’ve been made aware of a TikTok threat circulating social media nationally regarding gun violence at schools. Specifically, the viral threat focuses on a shooting at a school on Friday, December 17th. It seems this social media threat is being seen in school districts across the country and state. At this time, the origins of this threat are unknown.”
There are many, many other similar examples.
Area police departments were also sending out warnings; among them, the Nampa Police Department in Idaho, which wrote, “Nationwide TikTok Threat Being Addressed Locally,” adding, “We are aware of the nationwide general TikTok threat, circulating throughout social media about school violence tomorrow December 17, 2021. Nampa PD and the Nampa School District take these threats seriously and we are working together to assess the level of the risk. The Nampa Police Department has not identified any localized threats to our schools. School in Nampa will be conducted as normal tomorrow. We are communicating internally and with the NSD to heighten awareness at our schools.”
READ NEXT: Amazon Warehouse Damaged From the Tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois.