Kansas City police monitoring viral TikTok threat urging violence at nation’s schools
After vague, anonymous threats of violence happening at schools across the country spread across social media, Kansas City police on Friday said they have found no specific information about such attacks planned locally.
“The KCPD has been made aware of the multiple social media posts circulating in recent days indicating threats of violence at several schools across the nation,” Capt. Leslie Foreman, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department said in a email. “No specific information concerning threats or attacks planned at schools in our are have been deemed credible.”
The department, however, will continue to monitor the situation and ask anyone to report anything they feel is concerning or suspicious by calling 911.
Although Foreman’s email didn’t identify the social media platform she was referring to, a threat allegedly made on TikTok encouraged students to bring weapons to their schools on Friday and make bomb threats and other threats of violence. The post has been labeled “National Shoot Up Your School Day.”
In a message on Twitter Thursday, TikTok said: “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.”
The threat of violence, however still has school districts and law enforcement officials across the nation taking precautions.
It comes at a time when districts nationwide have seen a rise in threats, fights and other behavioral issues — as well as in the aftermath of the deadly school shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan.
Locally, school districts in the metro have been dealing with a rash of threats and are on constant high alert in the case of potential acts of violence.
Millions have been spent in recent years on security improvements in response to the increase in mass shootings. Entrances have been reconstructed, extra school resource officers hired and security cameras and metal detectors installed to enhance school safety.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 8:54 AM.
