TikTok School Violence Warning Has Portland, Others On Alert

Portland OR

16 December, 2021

9:49 PM

Description

PORTLAND, OR — A meme making its way around TikTok encouraging students to threaten school violence on Friday has local school districts on alert. Portland Public Schools and Beaverton Public Schools are just two of the scores around the country dealing with the issue. "This week in PPS we have investigated threats of violence on our campuses made via social media and have found them to not be credible," Portland Public Schools said in a note to students and families Thursday evening. "Please know that we do take every threat seriously and conduct investigations. The safety of our students is always our top priority." The district says that the number of threats on social media have risen since the shooting last month in Oxford, MI. "These threats have been, for the most part, hoaxes, but they create fear and anxiety, and they can far too easily disrupt the education that all students are entitled too. These are not victimless acts," the district says. "Please use this circumstance as an opportunity to have a conversation with your student about the nature of viral posts on social media," Beaverton school officials said in a similar note to students and families. "We understand that even non-credible threats can cause stress for our students, families and staff." All districts are urging people, if they become aware of a threat, to call 911 and provide as much information as possible.