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The White House said it's 'closely monitoring' reports of school shooting threats, but Biden's Homeland Security department hasn't found any 'credible' threats

Dec 18, 2021, 02:33 IST
Business Insider
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House December 14, 2021.Drew Angerer/Getty Images
  • The White House said Friday that it was monitoring concerns over alleged school shooting threats.
  • Districts and schools in over 10 states released statements warning about purported online threats.
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The Biden administration said on Friday it's "closely monitoring" reports of school shooting threats, despite a lack of specific and credible threats.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration and federal law enforcement were "closely monitoring threats of violence in schools circulating on social media."

"We know a number of schools across the country are closing today, and some parents are keeping their children home," she wrote on Twitter.

Biden's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it was aware of concerns of threats to schools on Friday, but that it could not name anything specific and found no "credible threats."

"DHS does not have any information indicating any specific, credible threats to schools but recommends communities remain alert," the department wrote on Twitter.

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Rumors of a purported TikTok video trend that warned of mass shootings raised concerns across the country on Friday.

Districts and schools in over 10 states, including Maryland, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Utah, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and Illinois, released statements warning community members about the purported social media threats of school violence. Schools in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Missouri closed on Friday due to the alleged threats and Texas school districts in Lamar and Fort Bend have told students to leave backpacks at home.

Many school districts questioned the credibility of the purported threats. Florida's Citrus County School District tweeted Thursday saying it had "not received any indication of a credible threat" and that school would continue as normal. Brian Reagan, the superintendent of Waltham Public Schools in Massachusetts, wrote in a statement released Thursday that he had been communicating with law enforcement and that he didn't believe the alleged threat against school safety was credible.

TikTok said in a tweet that the company found no such videos promoting violence against schools on Friday. The platform added in an additional tweet that it was "deeply concerned" that the widespread reporting of an alleged trend "could end up inspiring real world harm."

The company told Insider in a statement that the platform will continue to "aggressively search for any such content on our platform."

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