Norwood Superintendent Alerts Parents To TikTok Violence Threat

NORWOOD, MA - In response to social media threats nationwide of school violence to occur tomorrow, Superintendent David Thomson is taking proactive and preventative measures to alert families, working in cooperation with Norwood police.

The generalized threats mostly came on TikTok, a social media platform that shows short videos. These insinuations encouraged violence this Friday at schools around the country, but they did not name any specific targets.

Because of these posts, Thomson sent the following letters to families today to explain the situation:

"The Norwood Public Schools has become aware of a troubling post that has been shared widely this week on the social media platform TikTok. The post refers to a threat to school safety 'for every school in the USA, even elementary,' on Friday, December 17.

"The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district," the letter conntinued. "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.

"Additionally, the district is working with the Norwood Police Department regarding the post. We will have an increased police presence in our buildings on Friday merely as a precaution," it stated.

"This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We strongly ask that families monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online. Please know that any activity by our students that causes disruption or threatens our school climate and safety will come with severe consequences.

"If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please notify the school administration immediately.

"As always, thank you for your partnership as we work to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for our students," Thomson's letter said.

Last week, Thomson encouraged parents and students to go directly to school administration rather than posting about alleged activities on social media, noting that it can increase stress and increase the fear of copycat incidents of school violence like those seen across the country over the past two weeks. See this article.

Also, Deputy Chief of Police Christopher Padden this afternoon sent an email to supervising officers that was shared with Patch about stepping up police presence in schools tomorrow as a precaution.

"Supervisors are to assign officers to each school for arrival and have officers be highly visible all day tomorrow December 17th," the email stated. "It seems some idiot has made up a school violence Tik Tok challenge that has become a national trend on social media. This is a very generalized threat but it is also one that may spur someone on the edge to finally act.

"There are no specific threats to Norwood but parents have voiced concerns," it continued. "Be visible and be cautious when responding to the schools. Your presence will help to alleviate the stress some people may be feeling due to this situation."