12.16 Letter to Parents Addressing School Violence Social Media Challenge

Dear Families, 

Atlanta Public Schools has become aware of an emerging national TikTok challenge that encourages students to make threats to schools. These posts have been shared widely on TikTok.  The troubling posts refer to threats to school safety “for every school in the USA” to occur on Friday, Dec. 17. 

The posts appear to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in Atlanta Public Schools. We have heard reports from other districts that the same post is circulating in their schools. While we do not believe the threat to be credible, our Atlanta Public Schools Police Department and other metro-area law enforcement are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously. 

You may see additional security and police presence in our buildings on Friday as an added precaution. 

This situation serves as a good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. 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.  

If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please utilize our Say Something Anonymous Reporting System or  notify a school staff member or trusted adult right away.

Ensuring a safe and secure learning environment requires all of us. Thank you for reinforcing this message to our students.