The Sidney Central School District wants to advise the community about another unsubstantiated threat against unspecified schools around the country. These messages are circulating via social media in many parts of the country.
Sidney CSD is aware of the situation and our safety plans and procedures always remain in effect.
Messages are being posted on TikTok about school violence scheduled to take place on December 17, utilizing various hashtags.
Police departments across the country have debunked these threats as not credible, including Nassau County Police Department Homeland Security (please see the attached below for the information this department sent out). There is no evidence showing these posts are anything other than a hoax as there is no specified school targeted. In the case of a direct threat to the district, administration will work with local law enforcement to investigate any incident that may impact the educational environment.
It is also irresponsible to share posts such as these as people in communities could believe non-specific and unsubstantiated threats are directed at local schools when they are not.
As always, should anybody in the community, staff members, or students know of specific threats or witness any suspicious activity, they should immediately report it to law enforcement. Any person caught making a violent threat on social media, or causing a disturbance in the school, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The safety of our students and staff is the top priority at Sidney CSD. We encourage you to speak to your students about using social media platforms mindfully and not sharing information that may be inaccurate.
As previously communicated, the Sidney CSD in partnership with local law enforcement will be conducting a scheduled lockdown drill at 1:15 p.m. Friday, December 17. This is a normally scheduled drill, as school districts are required to complete two lockdown drills by December 31 each year.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a school administrator.