ATLANTA — Atlanta Public Schools reached out to parents Thursday night warning of an emerging TikTok challenge encouraging students to make threats to schools.
The district mentioned that this is a national challenge specifically stated to occur on Friday, Dec. 17 but that it did not originate within Atlanta Public Schools.
They added that such posts have been shared widely and the district has heard similar reports from other districts. However, the letter to parents stated that APS does not believe the threat to be credible, adding "our Atlanta Public Schools Police Department and other metro-area law enforcement are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously."
As precaution, APS mentioned that students may see additional security and police presence in buildings on Friday.
The letter concluded by saying:
This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online.
Finally, APS mentioned that parents and students should notify a staff member or trusted adult should they ever become aware of any threats.