MONTEREY COUNTY—School districts across the U.S. were on alert Thursday after a challenge posted on the social media application TikTok urged followers to call in shooting and bomb threats to their schools on Friday.
Students at North Monterey County High School were ordered to shelter in place after such a report, North Monterey County Unified School District Superintendent Kari Yeater announced on Facebook.
According to the post, someone named the high school in a social media post.
“Therefore, as a precautionary measure the School Resource Officer (SRO), local deputies and our school principal are investigating the posting,” it says.
According to Chief Deputy John Thornburg of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, a student was complaining about school on SnapChat, and another student responded with a photo of a gun and threats of violence.
Investigators Thursday were searching two residences associated with the student, and as of 1pm had not yet found a gun.
It is not clear, Thornburg said, whether the gun in the photo was real, or if it was taken off the internet. In addition to the SRO, five units were assisting in the investigation, Thornburg said.
Also not clear was whether the incident is related to the TikTok challenge.
“It’s a hoax,” he said. “We don’t think there was going to be a shooting.”
While there were no threats at any schools in Pajaro Valley Unified School District Thursday, officials sent out a letter to parents late Wednesday.
“The TikTok Challenge appears to have been intended for students to try to get out of school a day early, but has turned into students creating false threats,” the letter reads. “We want to reinforce that these are not jokes, and we take all threats seriously.”
The letter goes on to urge parents to speak to their kids about using social media platforms appropriately, and students to report anything concerning.
“Please take this opportunity to have an honest and open conversation with your student about the seriousness and resulting consequences of making any kind of threat,” the letter says.
Another TikTok challenge in September—called Devious Licks, urged students to steal things from their school. In Santa Cruz County, this included soap dispensers and a toilet.
