Time and time again, K12 school administrators find themselves addressing threats that have yet to come to fruition typically curated on social media. These threats, sometimes created by students, are most often external, one safety expert told District Administration during a plague of swatting threats that occurred last school year. Unfortunately, despite whether or not these threats are credible, there’s not much leaders can do but treat every instance seriously and take the appropriate safety measures. Last week, a wave of social media threats and other disruptions forced the interruption of schools across the country. Here’s what happened.
Police intervention leads to the arrest of a young student
On Monday, the Cedar Rapids Community School District closed its schools following a social media threat, including all morning activities and daycare. According to a news release from the district, the post was made by an “unidentified person,” and they’re working with the Cedar Rapids Police Department and other agencies to investigate the situation.
The following day, the district only had about 60% of its students return to school over looming fears surrounding the threat.
An email to families on Monday only described the threat as “serious” and from “an anonymous person.” However, as of Thursday, Oct. 5, the district announced that an arrest had been made of a 14-year-old who lives in the district and was linked to the online threats.
“We are deeply grateful for the diligent and unwavering efforts of the Cedar Rapids Police Department,” said Superintendent Tawana Grover. “Their invaluable assistance and resources were paramount in ensuring the safety and security of our community.”
School district forced to shut down its social media accounts
Leaders at DeWitt Public Schools made the decision to shut down its social media accounts after receiving floods of inappropriate tags, comments and various forms of hate speech in response to a post made online by a former employee.
The incident involved an X content creator, formerly known as Twitter, known as “Libs of TikTok,” an anti-LGBTQ+ account, which reposted a video uploaded by a former DeWitt teacher who discussed banning books in schools, according to the Lansing State Journal. After the video was reposted by “Libs of TikTok,” the district’s social media pages immediately started receiving hateful comments.
“Many of these comments appear to have originated outside our district and, in some cases, from other states,” Superintendent Shanna Spickard said in a statement. “In response to the apparent threats, we immediately contacted law enforcement and have temporarily deactivated our social media accounts while police investigate.”
More from DA: 3 bold ways leaders are addressing teacher shortages mid-semester
Fortunately, classes were not disrupted in any way. However, Spickard noted that K12 schools are increasingly falling victim to such disruptions on social media.
“Sadly, many other public schools have become targets for these kinds of attacks,” Spickard said in a statement. “We recognize that our students, staff, parents, and community members may sometimes disagree with each other, even passionately. This is all part of a healthy school environment. However, when these disagreements turn threatening or involve name-calling or the use of hateful speech, we have an obligation to intervene, which is consistent with our school policies, values, and mission.”
One middle school bolsters security after threat
In Houston ISD, an arrest was made following a threatening social media post toward Stevenson Middle School on Monday night, Houston Public Media reports. In response, administrators have decided to beef up security measures, including backpack screenings at the school’s entrance and increased police presence.
Houston ISD Spokesperson Joseph Sam would not specify whether it was a student who was arrested, citing privacy concerns, according to Houston Public Media. Fortunately, the school was not forced to go into lockdown or evacuate as the threat was made at night after school hours.
“No one was just. No one was injured,” Sam told Houston Public Media. “It was just a threat. We just took precautions.”
