TikTok posts referencing U.S. school violence raise anxiety
CTV
Some parents kept their children home, police stepped up patrols and educators tightened security protocols Friday in response to viral TikTok posts alluding to unconfirmed threats of violence that raised anxiety levels at schools in the U.S.
Vickie Cartwright, the interim superintendent of schools in Broward County, Florida, one of the U.S.'s largest school districts, said the U.S. government should take action if TikTok won't get rid of dangerous posts that hurt American schools.
"I'm asking for our federal government at this point in time to intervene. We need help. I cannot fathom that any other country would allow this type of attack to be occurring on their education system," she said.
With stress levels already soaring from the effects of the pandemic and a rash of hoax threats following a deadly school shooting in Michigan on Nov. 30, districts said they were taking precautions out of an abundance of caution.
The posts circulating online said schools would face shooting and bomb threats Friday. In a tweet, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it did not "have any information indicating any specific, credible threats to schools but recommends communities remain alert."
