A note District 153 Superintendent Scott McAlister sent to parents shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, alerted them to a social media threat to James Hart School in Homewood.
Parents and students alerted school officials about a TikTok video and an Instagram post with a threat to the school. Neither post was located by administrators, “but there is a post circulating that warns students that something could happen ‘at all schools,’” McAlister explained to parents.
“There is no evidence of a threat to James Hart School referenced in any online posts of which District 153 and the Homewood Police are aware,” he said.
After the school shooting in Winder, Georgia, on Sept. 4 in which two students and two teachers died, school administrators have seen an increase in threats to schools nationwide. District 153 administrators said they understand these social media posts “can be upsetting to our school community.” McAlister stressed that District 153 takes each post seriously and investigates each.
Students will have in-school discussions with staff about the seriousness of online threats. The district urges parents to do the same.
Anyone who finds any online threat to schools, students or staff is asked to save the message or photograph or screenshot the message and contact Homewood police immediately or call Safe2Help at 1-844-472-3345.
The Homewood Police Department also posted a notice on the situation that indicated it “will continue to monitor social media platforms and work together with School District 153 to ensure no specific threats are made to area schools.”
Anyone with information or questions about school threats can contact police at 708-206-3420.