Tik Tok School Shooting Threats Monitored In PA

PENNSYLVANIA — As school districts across the nation respond to online threats of gun violence, numerous school district around Pennsylvania took steps to improve the safety of school communities.

Videos posted to the social media platform Tik Tok apparently threatened gun violence in schools on Friday, in a "challenge" that some reports say initially began with urging students to skip school Dec. 17. The vague shooting threats prompted concern nationwide.

Some districts are actively investigating real threats. At Haverford Middle School in Delaware County, Superintendent Maureen Reusche said a message was found in a bathroom of the middle school indicating there may be a shooting in the school Friday.

"We immediately contacted the police and they are investigating," she said. "They do not believe students are in any immediate danger."

In a letter to the school community, Reusche said additional security is in place for dismissal Thursday and said increased police presence will be in place at all district buildings Friday, as all schools will be open and operating on a normal daily schedule.

Abram Lucabaugh, superintendent of the Central Bucks School District in Doylestown, advised families and staff Thursday afternoon that Pennsylvania State Police had reached out to the school to keep them updated on the situation.

"We have been advised that there are no known credible threats to any Central Bucks schools, or any school in Pennsylvania," he wrote in an email to the community.

Lucabaugh also reminded community members of steps they can take if they have reason to be concerned about possible violence.

"We take all threats of violence seriously and urge everyone to report any information about school-related violence to a trusted adult, a school administrator, local law enforcement (call 911), or through the Safe2Say app," Lucabaugh wrote.

"There are no current credible local threats we're aware of," Newtown Borough Police Chief James Sabath told Patch. "We'll continue to monitor the situation."

In the borough of New Hope, police chief Michael Cummings said his officers will be extra vigilant on their walkthroughs Friday.

Law enforcement is beefing up security and taking extra precautions at the nearby Radnor School District, too. A spokesperson for the district did clarify that no threats have been made specifically toward the district.

Hatboro-Horsham Superintendent Scott Eveslage sent an email to families in which he stated that the district was aware of the TikTok challenge that purports to advocate violence take place at schools this Friday, but that administrators have not been made aware of any threats locally.

To set the community's collective mind at ease, Eveslage said the district always takes any threats of violence very seriously, and that threats are "never accepted or tolerated, and investigated thoroughly.

"In these situations, we immediately involve the local police and initiate our investigation and threat assessment protocols," Eveslage wrote. "As always, students play a pivotal role in the early identification of any concerns by informing staff, reporting concerns to an administrator, or submitting a Safe2Say tip."

He urged parents to use this as an opportunity to speak with kids about social media usage and the grave repercussions of posting threats or challenges like this online.

Learn more about the national response to these threats: TikTok Challenge Sparks December Violence Rumors At U.S. Schools

With reporting from Jon Campisi, Max Bennett, and Justin Heinze