HAMILTON — A threat to school safety across the United States including here in Western Montana has put schools on high alert.
WCPO in Cincinnati says that the challenge, which dubs Friday as "National Shoot Up Your School Day," encourages students to make threats of violence against their school.
The threats have not been deemed credible by any law enforcement agencies.
Despite that, there are numerous reports of an increased police presence at many schools across the country.
The reaction has been described as precautionary at many districts.
The Hamilton School District posted on their social media that the threat did not originate from local school districts but rather appears to be part of a national Tik Tok trend.
Hamilton schools say they have been in contact with the police and may have increased police presence in their schools Friday as an added precaution.
Meanwhile, Corvallis Superintendent Jon Konen stated in a letter to parents that the district has been in contact with the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office and "may have an increased police presence in our buildings on Friday as an added precaution."
Other school districts across Montana are also responding to the threat.
Additional law enforcement will be present at schools in Billings and Lockwood on Friday while the Blackfeet Tribe has decided to close all schools on the reservation.
Glacier High School in Kalispell is also taking action due to an online threat, though it is not clear if its response is directly related to the Tik Tok situation. A "soft lockdown" is in place for Thursday and Friday.
