More Police In Wayne Schools Friday, But No Direct Threat Found: Superintendent

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne police will increase their presence Friday in local schools, becoming one of many law-enforcement agencies to do so after a nationwide TikTok "challenge" that encouraged students to threaten gun violence at their schools.

There has been no direct connection to Wayne Township Public Schools, according to Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback. But school officials discussed the matter with the Wayne Police Department and increased their presence at all schools Friday "as a precaution," he said.

Anyone with specific information related to the matter or other threats should immediately notify the Wayne Police Department at 973-694-0600 or their building principal, Toback said.

See Toback's letter here.

Multiple law-enforcement agencies say they are monitoring reports of the challenge, which has encouraged students to threaten gun violence at their schools on Friday. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the state Department of Education's Office of School Preparedness and Emergency Planning alerted New Jersey districts to the Dec. 17 challenge, and several notified parents, students and staff while also taking steps to increase security.

The threat is a generic one to schools across the country, officials in several districts said as they tried to reassure families that students and staff will be safe.

The Tik Tok challenge comes on the heels of the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the Michigan school shooting on Nov. 30 that killed four students and injured several others.

It also comes after two weeks of threats and rumors against New Jersey schools, including some that involved firearms. Read more: 11 NJ School Threats, Some Involving Guns, In Past 2 Weeks

With reporting from Karen Wall/Patch

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