St. John Parish Schools taking precautions Friday in response to viral ‘TikTok threat’
Published 7:56 am Friday, December 17, 2021
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RESERVE — St. John the Baptist Parish Schools and other school districts across the country are taking precautionary measures to ensure safety today after an anonymous TikTok threat labeled December 17 as “National Shoot Up Your School Day.”
The TikTok did not identify a specific school or district.
In a message addressed to St. John the Baptist Parish Schools parents and staff, Superintendent Dr. Lynett Hookfin said, “The Administration team has been made aware of a national anonymous TikTok challenge that has been virally circulating. The original TikTok posting has not been identified, but our school district will handle the rumored threats with utmost seriousness as we take all precautionary measures to ensure that scholars are safe. Please inform your child that we will increase presence in schools on today as an additional precautionary measure.”
TikTok responded to the situation in a tweet on December 16, stating, “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.”
