MA Police, Schools On High Alert For TikTok Challenge

MASSACHUSETTS — Police and school officials in Massachusetts are stepping up security in response to reports nationwide of a TikTok challenge that has encouraged students to threaten gun violence at their schools on Friday, Dec. 17.

Some Massachusetts school districts say they have been "inundated" with questions about the social media school violence rumors and have responded in letters to parents and public statements in the days leading up to Friday. Other districts are asking their residents to immediately report specific threats or any suspicious activity to local police or school administrators.

In Andover, Superintendent Magda Parvey said in a note to parents police are planning extra patrols Friday despite no direct evidence of a threat specifically targeting schools in the Merrimack Valley community.

"While we do not anticipate anything in our schools or district, we would be remiss if we were not extra vigilant regarding safety and security at our schools tomorrow as a result of this TikTok challenge," Parvey said.

One town over, in Wilmington, Superintendent Glenn Brand sent a similar note to parents Thursday.

"The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district," Brand said. "We have heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. While we do not believe the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously."

Districts across the country are guarding against the reported challenge, which Brand said refers to "every school in the USA, even elementary." Superintendents in Canton, Malden, Norwood, Hopkinton and several other Massachusetts school systems have notified parents about the threats.

"This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats," Superintendent David Thomson said in his note to parents in Norwood, which has responded to similar threats twice in the past three weeks. "Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff."

At least two Massachusetts schools districts have already responded to social media threats this week. In Burlington, someone posted a threat against Burlington High School to an anonymous Instagram account. In the message, which school administrators were made aware of on Tuesday, someone posted "a desire to cause harm at the school prior to winter break," officials said.

And in Wrentham, a Snapchat post said the King Philip Middle School will be shot up on Friday. Wrentham police investigated Tuesday's incident and say it was a case of bad judgment on the student's part and not a real threat.

According to some reports, the December challenge is one of several in a string of monthly challenges stemming from the social media platform.

In September, another challenge called "Devious Licks" encouraged raucous acts of vandalism at schools. To participate in the challenge, students and TikTok users shattered mirrors, stole soap dispensers, fire alarms and football field turf, and intentionally clogged toilets, all while filming the antics to post on TikTok.