Tik Tok Threats In Bucks Co. Schools: Latest Updates

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — As school districts across the nation respond to online shooting threats, numerous Bucks County districts have issued statements and even stepped up security in an effort to ensure 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 investigating local threats.

The Upper Southampton Police Department released a statement Friday morning about a Safe2Say report of a potential threat to Klinger Middle School, which police and Centennial School District staff quickly investigated.

"The report was discovered to be unfounded and there is no threat to Klinger or its students and staff," officers wrote.

Most districts released statements encouraging reporting, but also saying that there had not been credible threats to their schools.

"We share this information with caution because we do not want to add credibility to these threats," Superintendent Charles Lentz of the New Hope-Solebury school district said in a statement to the community.

Lentz was among several superintendents who said there would be increased security presence on school grounds Friday.

"We will have an increased police presence around our buildings on Friday as an added precaution," Thomas Smith, superintendent of the Pennsbury school district, wrote online.

Local police provided reports throughout the day.

"We had no issues at the school campus," New Hope Borough Police Chief Mike Cummings wrote in an email to Patch Friday morning. "We provided a presence at each building during drop offs for arrivals until school was secured. We will be doing walkthroughs of the different campus buildings. No credible threats were reported."

Newtown Township Police Chief John L. Hearn similarly said that to his knowledge, Newtown schools had no reason for concern.

"There were NO specific threats to any schools in Newtown or Wrightstown Townships and our strong presence was just for the reassurance of our students, staff and parent[s]," Hearn wrote. "We will continue to monitor the reports, and will do all we can to maintain a safe environment for our school children and the school staff."

For Central Bucks, Bristol, and Bensalem school districts, this unrest follows other potential threats to school safety in recent weeks.

"As we experienced just a few short weeks ago when threats were made at Central Bucks High School South, incidents of this nature divert critical community resources, and are deeply disruptive to the instructional environment; additionally, they harm the emotional well-being of our students, faculty, and staff," Abram Lucabaugh, superintendent of Central Bucks, wrote.

Even when threats are found not to be credible, their proliferation has a psychological impact.

"We also encourage you to speak with your child if they are experiencing anxiety about this trend or other recent occurrences of violence in schools," Lentz wrote. "If you would like additional resources to help facilitate these conversations or your child would benefit from additional support, please reach out to your building guidance counselors."

Check back here for breaking news updates on Tik Tok threats in Bucks County schools.