Page 26 - bon-dia-aruba-20211218

A26 OBITUARIO
Diasabra 18 December 2021

TikTok posts referencing violence raise anxiety

at schools

Mi Dios, Mi Señor, Mi Salbador
Cu Bo amor infinito tenemi den Bo braza
Ya no tin scuridad
Unicamente Bo Luz briyando

Cu dolor na nos curason, nos ta participa fayecimento
di nos ser stima:

(AP) — Some parents kept their children
home, police stepped up patrols and educa- With stress levels already soaring from the effects
tors tightened security protocols Friday in of the pandemic and a rash of hoax threats fol-
response to viral TikTok posts alluding to lowing a deadly school shooting in Michigan on
unconfirmed threats of violence that raised Nov. 30, districts said they were taking precau-
anxiety levels at schools nationwide. tions out of an abundance of caution.

Vickie Cartwright, the interim superintendent of The posts circulating online said schools would
schools in Broward County, Florida, one of the face shooting and bomb threats Friday. In a tweet,
nation’s largest school districts, said the U.S. gov- the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said
ernment should take action if TikTok won’t get it did not “have any information indicating any
rid of dangerous posts that hurt American schools. specific, credible threats to schools but recom-
Sr. Hector P. Zievinger mends communities remain alert.”
Mihor conoci como “Boy chikito” “I’m asking for our federal government at this
*30-08-1941 - †15-12-2021 point in time to intervene. We need help. I cannot Some districts opted to cancel classes for the day
fathom that any other country would allow this or limit where students could go inside school
Acto di despedida lo wordo anuncia despues type of attack to be occurring on their education buildings. Many others increased security staff-
system,” she said. ing. More than a half dozen school districts in
the Houston area told middle and high school
students to leave their backpacks at home Friday
in response to the TikTok posts, though none of
the districts had received credible threats, offi-
cials said.

TikTok has been deleting posts spreading “mis-
information that is generally sparking alarming
warnings” but is not finding posts that are pro-
moting violence or making threats, company
spokesperson Hilary McQuaide said.
“Señor ta mi wardador, mi’n tin falta di nada
Den cunucu di yerba berde e ta poni mi sosega. Den cunucu di yerba berde e ta ponemi sosega.
E ta hiba mi na awa trankil. E ta hibami na awa trankil, “We are removing the alarmist warnings,” she
said. “Those are misinformation.”
Pa mi bolbe haña forsa. Pa mi bolbe haña forsa”.
Salmo 23 Salmo: 23 McQuaide said the company began hearing the
rumors late Wednesday and has been working
Cu profundo tristeza na nos curason, nos ta anuncia Cu dolor na nos curason, nos ta participa with law enforcement agencies to try to get to
fayecemento di: fayecimento di nos ser stima: the bottom of them.

The post most widely associated with Friday’s
fears is “not really a threat, it’s just saying they
are hearing this thing is happening,” said Justin
Patchin, a criminal justice professor at the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and co-director
of the Cyberbullying Research Center.

How to respond to that presents a dilemma both
to TikTok and educators, especially since many
of the previous panics about TikTok challenges
have proven to be bogus and acknowledging
them can make them more influential.

“It definitely puts schools in a tough spot,” said
Patchin, whose center has worked with TikTok
and other social media companies in the past to
research online bullying. “There are these poten-
tial threats they can’t ignore but they also can’t
shut down schools every time someone posts a
Eugenio Carel Mathilda Franklin I. Adamus generalized threat on social media.”
Mihor conoci cu Tony *04-07-1951 - †08-12-2021
21-11-1967 / 13-12-2021 Educators have been on edge in many places
since the deadly shooting in Michigan as copy-
Acto di entiero lo wordo anuncia despues cat threats have led to isolated cases of schools
Acto di intiero lo wordo anuncia despues.
switching to remote learning over the last several
weeks.