TikTok 'Challenge' Prompts School Districts Across Virginia To Take Precautions

VIRGINIA — While actual threats have not materialized, a "challenge" on the social media app TikTok warned of potential school violence Friday that prompted school districts across Virginia to take precautions.

Several school districts told families about the vague threat of school violence Friday. The nationwide apparent threat triggered a broad response among law enforcement agencies and school districts, who said there have been no credible threats made at Virginia districts.

Many school districts across the country increased security, and one high school in the Bay Area of California preemptively canceled school Friday. But in Virginia, no schools canceled classes on Friday in response to the threat rumor.

On Thursday, TikTok responded to the national threat rumors on Twitter. "We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, 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," the company said.

Alexandria City Public Schools notified families about the challenge in a letter on Thursday. The school district said the post is part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in Alexandria. The threat is not believed to be credible, but the school district is "monitoring the situation" and is in contact with Alexandria Police.

Alexandria's schools have dealt with several threat reports this school year. Most recently last week, Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard campus was evacuated for a bomb threat report. A sweep of the school by Alexandria Police found no credible threat.

The high school's King Street campus was put on secure the building status although no threat was found. The investigation resulted from a threat posted to social media mentioned the acronym ACHS.

See Also:

• Rumored School Violence TikTok Challenge Monitored In Alexandria
• Rumored School Violence TikTok Trend Monitored In Arlington
• Rumored School Violence TikTok Trend Monitored In Stafford
• School Threat Leads To Charges For 13-Year-Old Boy: Police

Arlington Public Schools said it is working closely with the Arlington County Police Department to ensure the safety of students and staff.

The school system also sent a letter to families on Thursday about the TikTok post. "While we do not believe the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously," the letter said.

This latest TikTok post "serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats," Arlington Public Schools said.

Even if the threats are not credible, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for students, families and staff, the school system said.

In Stafford County, students, teachers, and parents may notice an increased police presence at schools on Friday, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities noted that they are closely monitoring the situation.

The sheriff's office's primary recommendation emphasized safe online habits. Parents should be aware of their child's social media activities, authorities said. Like in other jurisdictions, the Stafford sheriff's office said parents and students should avoid sharing any posts on social media that refer to safety threats.

In Fairfax County, the police department said its office has not been made aware of any credible threat. "We will continue to monitor the situation. Please follow our social media channels for any updates," the FCPD said.

Prince William County schools sent an email to families Thursday evening saying parents and students may see increased police presence at schools on Friday but "at this time, there are no known specific or identified threats to PWCS."

The TikTok challenge came 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.

The post was framed as a school challenge, the latest in a string of monthly TikTok dares.

In September, another challenge called "Devious Licks" encouraged raucous acts of vandalism at schools. To participate, students shattered mirrors, stole soap dispensers, fire alarms and football field turf, and intentionally clogged toilets, all while filming them to post on TikTok.

Patch editor Megan VerHelst contributed to this report.