No specific North Thurston school named by threats of violence on social media
North Thurston Public Schools, Thurston County’s largest school district, alerted parents Thursday morning that they were aware of serious threats circulating widely on TikTok and Instagram about a possible school shooting Friday.
However, a Lacey police investigation found that the message did not identify any specific school, school district, county, or state, and that the message was sent by an unknown user, according to the district.
The investigation revealed that the message has been shared nationwide and the origin is unknown, per the district.
“At this moment, we do not believe there is a direct threat to our schools,” North Thurston officials said in their email to parents.
“This issue is not unique to North Thurston Public Schools,” the email reads.
“Neighboring districts have been experiencing the same issues as you may be seeing in the news. They have had reports of safety concerns and threats. In most cases, these posts turn out to be non-credible threats where students did not intend harm.
“However, in every case, we have a duty to immediately respond and assume that a threat could be credible until the investigation is complete.
“Students will often say the threat was a joke. We want to make it clear; the safety of our children is not a joke. We take every threat seriously. We can assure you that there are consequences for students who are guilty of threatening our schools, students, or staff,” the email said.
“Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online.
“We encourage you, parents, students, staff, community member, to report any suspicious or possibly threatening behavior or concerns as well as encouraging our children to do so. Any threats or questionable behavior can be reported to your school administration and/or Lacey Police.
“We want to thank students and parents who reported the threat to school administration or law enforcement. We are proud to be a part of a community in which all its members take community safety seriously. We cannot do this alone.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 1:02 PM.
