At least four Kentucky teens are facing terrorism and harassment charges for threatening their teachers with hidden bombs as part of a crazy trend that caught on on TikTok.
There have been four different bomb threats at three different Oldham County high schools since the new school year began on August 9.
At least three of the incidents were confirmed to have stemmed from a social media “challenge”.
“The challenge encouraged students to record a video of themselves telling a teacher that there was a bomb or weapon in their backpack,” Oldham County Police said in a statement.
The three students charged with making terroristic threats were 15-year-old students from Oldham County High School, located just 20 miles northeast of Louisville.
According to police, a fourth student, also 15, from nearby South Oldham High School, may also have been inspired by the trend. They were accused of harassment of communications.
The four students were also suspended from classes for an undisclosed period of time and ordered to complete a mental health screening before returning to school, according to a message from the district shared with parents.
The three students charged with making terrorist threats were 15-year-old students from Oldham County Secondary School. wdrb.com
“As previously communicated in a letter to families regarding terrorist threats, students who engage in this type of behavior face serious consequences. In addition to school-level discipline, students are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for posing a threat to a public school,” the memo, obtained by WDRB.com, read.
The district sent a message to parents pleading with them to warn their children of the consequences of making such dangerous accusations.
Officials also called for parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts.
Police said at least three incidents were directly related to a social media “challenge.” WDRB.com
“Whether written or spoken, all threats are taken seriously and students need to know the repercussions of these actions, both in the short and long term. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a lot of stress or anxiety for our students, families, and staff.”
All TikTok videos have been removed at the request of the district.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn