The Epoch Times:
School officials and authorities across the United States said they were amping up security on Thursday after threats were made on TikTok and other social media suggesting that shootings would take place on Dec. 17.
It is unclear where the anonymous and vague school threat first originated from but the posts warn of shootings and bomb threats at schools around the country on Friday.
Authorities have said they have received no evidence suggesting that the posts were credible but school officials across states including Arizona, Washington, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania said they have amped up security across education facilities as a precautionary measure.
The Naugatuck Police Department in Connecticut issued a statement telling parents they would increase their presence and patrols at Borough Schools in the “coming days” due to an “uptick in unrelated threats at schools in the region.”
“While there has been NO threat against Naugatuck Schools, students, or staff, the public can anticipate our presence to increase the community’s sense of safety during the coming school days,” police said.
Police in Seattle said they have opened investigations into threats at two schools, “which led to the closure of one high school campus,” per a statement issued Wednesday.
“This morning, police received calls from Seattle Public Schools staff, reporting a social media threat involving students at Franklin High School and a potential threat at Rainier Beach High School,” police said. “The nature of the specific threat at Franklin led school officials to close the campus for the day.”
“Rainier Beach did not receive any specific threats and continued the school day sheltered in place,” officials added. “The Seattle Police Department is working closely with Seattle Public Schools to address campus safety and will provide additional patrols as needed.”
In Arizona, the Scottsdale Unified School District, in a letter to parents, said the threats appear to be “generic and are being posted nationwide” but noted that there would be an increased police presence on and around its on Thursday and Friday.
In New York, Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said area schools will have an increased police presence Friday, Syracuse reported.
Elsewhere, Michigan’s Charlton Police Department issued a statement Thursday saying it’s “aware of a Snap Chat message about a threat to Charlton Middle School” and the agency is “actively working with other agencies and the school.”
“We believe this threat may be related to [a] Tik Tok challenge and not a credible threat. We have patrols concentrated in certain areas as a precaution,” officials said.
