Bay Area schools are on high alert Friday following purported shooting and bombing threats made on the social media app TikTok earlier this week, which the platform and law enforcement agencies weren't able to corroborate.
In a series of tweets posted on Thursday and Friday, TikTok said it found no content promoting violence at schools. Instead, researchers with the company discovered videos "discussing this rumor and warning others to stay safe."
Many law enforcement agencies and officials had discredited the rumors before Thursday, citing that they might not even exist, according to reporting by The Verge. But some school districts, including at least one in the Bay Area, have taken the possibility seriously, canceling class for the day.
Gilroy High School opted to cancel class after a threatening message was identified by local police threatening a school with the same initials, GHS. But it was later determined that the post was about a different high school in Los Angeles. The poster was identified by the Los Angeles School Police Department and determined not to be a credible threat.
"We've been tracking reports of threats being made against schools," said California Department of Education Superintendent Tony Thurmond in an interview with KCBS Radio on Thursday. "That there might be violence against schools on Friday, December 17."
Thurmond said the department has been communicating with school communities and leaders throughout the state, "reminding everyone that if you see anything, at all, no matter what you think it might be, to share that information with law enforcement."
"I want to commend our school communities, they've been vigilant," he said. The department has also been in touch with the Office of Emergency Services and the California Highway Patrol to allocate resources to help.
The department was first made aware of the possible threat through the Office of Emergency Services, and had started hearing things earlier in the week.
"Students saying they might bring guns to school, that there might be bombs at school," he said.
Officials have noted a higher incidence of threats being made on social media. While some of those threats have been determined to be hoaxes, "We cannot take this lightly," said Thurmond. "We have to take every single one seriously."
Schools contended with the "devious licks" TikTok challenge earlier this year, sounding the alarm over other trends with far murkier origins. Many schools have also been subject to gun violence.
The Bay Area is no exception. In recent weeks, at least two Bay Area law enforcement agencies have arrested suspects connected to threats of gun violence at local schools.
With the current threat, some local agencies have been investigating and even made some arrests, according to Thurmond.
For many schools, this is the last day of the semester before the holidays, said Thurmond. People should stay safe, and vigilant, but remember to appreciate being together for the holidays this year. "It's important for us to still celebrate," he said.
If someone would like to report an incident, they can do so at the California State Threat Assessment System website, Thurmond said.
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