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This week, a Hempstead school was targeted by anonymous threats, which police say could be part of a TikTok challenge that involves children posting evacuations of the false alarms online.
On Monday, Jan. 24, a threat was made targeting the Lawrence Road Middle School in Hempstead, part of the Uniondale School District, leading to a massive police presence and sweep of the building.
The TikTok threats have been a recurring problem for schools across the country, even prompting a response from the social media giant, which said “it takes the rumored threats seriously,” and are actively searching and removing posts of that nature.
“We handle even rumored threats with utmost seriousness, which is why we’re working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools even though we have not found evidence of such threats originating or spreading via TikTok,” the company posted on its platform in December.
Similar incidents have happened throughout the region and state, with several school districts canceling classes as a precaution after a threat was made online.
Nassau County Police continue to investigate the latest incident.
“A thorough and systematic search of the entire school was conducted," a statement from the department said following the threat. "After an extensive investigation there was no evidence of any credible threats found and the building was deemed safe. The students were dismissed safely and there were no reported injuries."
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