AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin ISD and other school districts across Central Texas say they're keeping an eye on social media ahead of Friday, as reports of threats against schools across the country were circulating on the social platform TikTok.
Austin ISD Police Chief Ashley Gonzalez, in an open letter to district families, called the threats "non-specific" and said the district will have extra security measures in place on Friday. "Unfortunately, we’ve seen a trend of reposting messages that have no relation to our city, area or schools and many of the threats end up being hoaxes," Gonzalez wrote.
Even though the district has deemed the threats to not be credible, Gonzalez said officials will continue to investigate them. "Austin ISD Police take all threats of violence seriously and investigate each threat thoroughly by working with local, state, and federal partners," Gonzalez wrote.
Leander ISD officials said they're also keeping an eye on potential threats, including working with state and local public safety agencies. "The law enforcement agencies we work with are aware and we do not have concerns for safety and security," district officials wrote Thursday afternoon. "The original social media post on TikTok originated in a different state and region of the country."
In a statement posted on its Twitter account Thursday afternoon, TikTok said it was working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the posts.
“We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness,” the statement reads, “which is why we’re working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok.”
This is not the first time TikTok has been connected to disruptive social media challenges. In September, students across the country posted videos of themselves vandalizing school bathrooms, and in October, students were challenged to "slap a teacher" while recording video.
Gonzalez urged parents to talk to their children about using social media correctly. "Please take this time to talk to your child about being responsible on social media and not sharing these threats or warnings, even as a precaution," Gonzalez wrote.