Madison Schools Send Letter To Parents Regarding Latest Social Media Challenge

School officials are taking all threats seriously

Dear Madison families,

We have become aware of yet another troubling trend circulating as a challenge on the social media platform TikTok. One of the current challenges involves anonymous bomb threats called into schools.

The post appears to be part of a national TikTok trend and did not originate in our school district. However, we know of reports from other regional area districts where the challenge is circulating in their schools. While we do not believe the threat to be credible, we are closely monitoring the situation and taking it seriously.

We urge you to be aware of what your student is viewing on their devices. There are numerous other dangerous challenges circulating on the popular TikTok platform. A quick internet search on dangerous TikTok challenges provides information from news stories of numerous challenges dating back several years. If you are not familiar with the app, we encourage you to do some research and understand what is available for your student or young adult to view.

This situation serves as yet another good example of why it is important to avoid sharing posts online that refer to school safety threats. Even if they are not credible threats, they can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety for our students, families, and staff. We ask our families to monitor their children’s social media activity and speak with them about proper behavior online.

As a reminder, in the event there is a false bomb report made at school, felony charges may result following an investigation of the origin of the report. This is something we take very seriously.

If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please notify a school staff member or trusted adult right away. As a reminder, the Tip Line is monitored 24 hours per day, https://asp.schoolmessenger.com/madisonk12in/quicktip/index.php

As always, thank you for your partnership as we work to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for our students.

Sincerely, Dr. Teresa Brown, Superintendent