States across the US hit with fake school violence threats

Local police departments are warning about a new trend circulating on TikTok that includes making threats against middle and high schools.

Among the states with districts on what some local law enforcement is calling a “hit list” circulating on social media include Kansas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and Virginia.

The Dallas Fort Worth Police Department is among those to have received some of the fake threats.

Here in the last several days, we have received several dozens of hoax reports of violence towards our schools,” Fort Worth Police Public Information Officer Jimmy Pollozani shared with NBC 5 .

According to the Junction City Police Department in Kansas, threats were made against Junction City Middle School, though officials believe the threats to be part of an online trend, WIBW reported .

The Hanover County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia wrote on Facebook on Wednesday night that schools in its county were among those around the world that were part of a “hit list.” Multiple Hanover County schools had reportedly been targeted in the online threat.

“We want to assure our community that while we take all threats seriously, this appears to be part of a broader national and global issue, and we are actively monitoring the situation,” the sheriff’s office said. “We have been in contact with our Shield partners both nationally and globally, who are all dealing with the same trend.”

In North Carolina, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department said they had found a 12-year-old who was responsible for making multiple threats of violence at different schools in the county.

The sheriff’s department noted that deputies became aware of photos “circulating through social media of a person holding and subsequently communicating threats toward schools.”

One of those schools, North Belmont Elementary , updated parents on the situation on Facebook.

“We want you to know that a message circulating overnight on social media (TikTok) has caused concern for some schools in Gaston, Cleveland, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg counties.  The message is ambiguous, but it does reference school safety,” the school wrote. “Please know that law enforcement is aware and investigating to determine who posted the message.”

The trend comes a week after a suspected 14-year-old gunman opened fire at Apalachee High School in Georgia, claiming the lives of four and hospitalizing nine others.

Local and state law enforcement agencies across the country are continuing to ensure school safety, investigating threats and, in some cases, increasing officer presence at schools where threats have been made.