The Turlock Unified School District cautioned parents about a new trend on social media encouraging school shootings on Friday.

There is a Tik Tok video circulating on social media threatening nationwide school shootings on Dec. 17, 2021.  

In a message sent Thursday evening, TUSD stated that as of that time, there was no information that the challenge was made by any Turlock students or directed toward any of local schools.

The school district asked parents/guardians to speak to their students about using social media platforms mindfully, as dangerous and potentially dangerous social media challenges are becoming more common.  

This is the most recent in a series of concerning social media trends involving students.

Last week, TUSD sent out an update to parents and guardians about recent instances of cyberbullying. The district uncovered “several fake Instagram accounts with various TUSD school names as part of their title with inappropriate and hurtful messaging.”

Some examples of these accounts include: THS ships, Turlock shoes, People Sleeping at THS, Pitman High Ships Official and Pitman High Starterpacks. Ship refers to when someone wants two people to enter into a romantic relationship. 

In September, the “Devious Licks” challenge on TikTok encouraging students to steal or destroy school property and then post a picture or video of the item as a trophy resulted in damaged TUSD property.

TUSD has a “See or Hear Something, Say Something” protocol and encourages students or parents to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement, a trusted school official, or submit an anonymous tip on the Turlock USD app.

“We take all threats seriously, as student and staff safety is our number one priority,” stated the school district.