Violent social media threats are putting school leaders in terrible binds. While many of these often anonymous threats of shootings are meant to be pranks, a new study says, they can significantly disrupt the school day and drain law enforcement resources.
The resulting lockdowns and school closures are also traumatizing students and staff, the RAND Corporation contends in a new report on how school leaders can better handle social media threats.
The most recent data available shows threats rose by 60% from 2021 to 2022, and they remain a too-common part of K12 life. “When responding to a threat, schools must balance the risk that a threat might be credible with the trauma and disruption that repeated responses to hoax threats induce,” the report’s authors write.
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A survey conducted for the report found that students and others in the community are not fully aware of the consequences of posting threats and hoaxes. Educators should therefore build a “reporting culture” so students, parents and others feel comfortable reporting threats they find on social media.
School leaders should work with law enforcement to develop a response plan that starts discreetly, at a lower intensity, and scales up rapidly if a threat is credible. “Habituating students and school staff to certain response measures can potentially alleviate the fear and trauma that they might otherwise cause during threats and other emergencies,” the authors advise.
The report recommends:
- Responses to social media–based threats have to balance risks of under- and over-reactions and include options for intensification as a threat evolves.
- Clear command and control protocols are essential as the investigations of threats—particularly anonymous ones—must be multi-pronged efforts involving school personnel, law enforcement and other specialists, such as psychologists.
- Schools need national guidelines for assessing the credibility of threats, balancing and escalating responses, using common vocabulary with law enforcement, and communicating with families and the broader community during a threat situation.
- Schools should accustom students and staff to emergency measures to make responses less traumatizing.
- Educators should use surveillance tools with caution and inform students about the consequences of making threats.
