US schools step up security in response to threats on TikTok

Handwritten messages are left at the memorial site outside Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, after a 15-year-old allegedly killed these four classmates, and injured seven others in a shooting inside the northern Oakland County school one week earlier. School officials around the country are planning to step up security Friday in response to social media posts warning of violence. The anonymous threats on TikTok had many educators on edge because they are circulating in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Michigan. — The Flint Journal/AP

US educators announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible.

The social media threats had many educators on edge as they circulated in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Michigan, which has been followed by numerous copycat threats to schools elsewhere.