A troubling trend on TikTok has schools across the country on high alert after students were encouraged to cause violence at school on Friday, whether that was calling in bomb threats or even bringing weapons on campus.
Waco ISD told 25 News they were aware of the threat and took it very seriously to ensure students were safe on campus.
"We saw it on social media when we were monitoring and immediately went to work investigating," Executive Director of Communications Alice Jauregui said.
It is unclear when the first post promoting the day of violence was listed, but Jauregui said Waco ISD is always prepared and on alert for threats.
"We do have security, our staff is fully trained and fully aware of how to handle any crisis situation," she said. "We are prepared for any situation that could arise and we are always going to err on the side of caution."
Schools across the country took precautions in many different ways, with some places even closing or going virtual for the day. Also across Texas schools heightened security and Fort Bend ISD even asked their students to leave their backpacks at home.
TikTok also acknowledged the trend tweeting that they "take threats with utmost seriousness" and they are "working with law enforcement to look into warnings about potential violence at schools."
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.
— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) December 16, 2021
Waco administrators said they will continue to keep an eye out for anything alarming and encourage students to report anything suspicious.
"Our priority is the safety of our staff and our students at all times," Jauregui said. "If there is a concern, something that we feel we should be concerned about, we will share that."
