Tik Tok rumor prompts national and local school, police response
Tulare County detectives and police are aware of a rumor posted on Tik Tok challenging students "to call in bomb threats, school shooting threats" at schools across the nation Friday.
The social media post did not originate in Tulare County and there have been no local or credible threats, detectives said.
"Tik Tok has been in the headlines lately over dangerous and destructive trends that have been shared on the social media platform and, at times, carried out by students," a press release from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office reads. "The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office takes every threat seriously and anyone makes a threat in regards to bombs or school shooting will be arrested."
Visalia Unified School District spokesperson Kim Batty confirmed classes will resume as normal Friday.
"Chief (Jason) Salazar has informed me that Visalia Police Department received information this afternoon from both the FBI and the State Terrorism Threat Assessment Center," a press release from Visalia Unified reads. "Visalia Police Department is monitoring and keeping their staff prepared to deal with such threats."
Visalia Unified will have increased administrative support on campuses Friday in addition to Visalia Police Department Youth Service Officers.
Tik Tok tweeted in response to the rumors:
"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."
Earlier this year, 'Devious Licks,' a Tik Tok trend, challenged students to steal items from campus. In Visalia, everything from soap and paper towel dispensers to lightbulbs and bathroom stall doors was stolen.
To report possible threats of violence, call 559-733-6218, 800-808-0488, or the Tip Now Line at 559-725-4194, or e-mail tcso@tipnow.com.
Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tik Tok rumor prompts national and local school, police response
