Local schools, law enforcement respond to threat against school safety seen on TikTok

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Videos circling around the social media platform TikTok have caused concern for local schools. The videos refer to a threat against school safety for every school on Dec. 17.

Duval County Public Schools sent a message to families on Thursday evening saying they are aware of the videos and police are monitoring the situation.

“These vague posts refer to a threat to school safety for every school in the nation on Friday, Dec. 17. The posts appear to be part of a national TikTok trend and not specific to any school or district,” the message stated.

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“While we do not believe these threats are credible, our police are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to respond to anything that might suggest a specific threat to our schools.”

St. Johns County School District also sent a message to parents on Thursday regarding the videos.

The district says the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is monitoring the situation. SJCSD urges parents to remind their children that they should never post anything threatening about a school or anyone.

“We encourage you to remind your children that they should never post anything threatening about a school or anyone. This type of behavior is very serious and can result in consequences in accordance with our student code of conduct and/or criminal charges,” the message stated.

The Fernandina Beach Police Department has responded to the threats, planning to increase the number of officers at Fernandina Beach Middle School and Fernandina Beach High School on Dec. 17.

Read the messages from each school district below:

Duval County Public Schools

Dear families,

We are writing to let you know we are aware of reports of troubling posts being shared widely across the nation on TikTok.

These vague posts refer to a threat to school safety for every school in the nation on Friday, Dec. 17. The posts appear to be part of a national TikTok trend and not specific to any school or district.

While we do not believe these threats are credible, our police are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to respond to anything that might suggest a specific threat to our schools.

Nothing of that nature exists right now, but as always, if you see a threat to your school or any school, the student safety link on our website provides multiple avenues to report that information.

Please also continually remind your children that they should never post or say anything threatening toward or about a school or other individuals. Making threats of any type can result in severe disciplinary consequences and possibly even criminal charges.

Our goal is to provide students with a positive learning environment, free from the distraction and stress caused by these social media posts. Thank you for your attention to this message and for your collaboration in keeping our school communities safe and secure.

ST. Johns County School District

Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

We want you to know that we are aware of TikTok posts referring to a threat to school safety for every school in our nation on Friday, Dec. 17. These posts appear to be part of a nationwide TikTok trend and are not specific to any school or district.

While we do not believe these threats are credible, our St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has been closely monitoring this trend and is ready to respond to anything that may be a specific threat to our schools.

We encourage you to remind your children that they should never post anything threatening about a school or anyone. This type of behavior is very serious and can result in consequences in accordance with our student code of conduct and/or criminal charges.

Thank you for your consideration and support of this situation.

Sincerely,

SJCSD Administration

Clay County District Schools Police Department

Clay County District School Parents.

I want to share with all of you that we, the Clay County Sheriffs Office, Orange Park Police and Green Cove Springs are aware of the information being circulated in and around social media.

Please know we are all actively investigating these posts and these post are being shared all over the United States.

We take these posts serious and will be visible in each of our schools.

Chief Kenneth Wagner

This is a developing story that will be updated once more information becomes available.

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