Dec 17

Dec 17 Breaking News: Local students charged with making false reports about school violence

On Friday, December 17, a statement from the Davidson County Sheriff’s office said school resource officers charged three students in the Davidson County School system with making a False Report of Mass Violence on Educational Property.

The charges follow a shift in school protocols as a nationwide spike in TikTok threats of school violence on Friday led to heightened security. Protective measures included disallowing backpacks at West Davidson High School and metal detectors at North Davidson High, and most administrators say it was a regular day but thought it was important to take every threat “seriously.”

The US Department of Homeland Security released a statement on Friday morning reporting it has no evidence to suggest the claims are credible but encouraged the public to "remain alert." The platform made the announcement on Twitter amid widespread school closures and increased police presence on some campuses.

Local law enforcement confirmed that threats were not corroborated although a few students allegedly made false claims. “The students were charged after they made false reports to other students through electronic means that an act of violence was imminent at their school when in fact there was nothing occurring,” the release reported. “Two of the students committed the act at North Davidson Middle School while the third was reported at E. Lawson Brown Middle School. All of the students were under the age of 18 and were charged on juvenile petitions to be filed with juvenile services. The reports were not directly related to the nationwide TikTok challenge of school violence that was reported for today.”

Captain Cory Mann declined to comment further on the charges but noted the department followed up with the Davidson County School Board to inform them of the incidents. He pointed out how a moment of poor decision making on Facebook could lead to a lifetime of consequences.

“They’ve got to understand that that stuff will follow you for the rest of your life. An otherwise absolutely perfect student could get videoed and put on TikTok or YouTube…It can follow you from here to eternity.”

Mann said Sheriff Richie Simmons has included this type of advice and warnings in countywide school education programs. Mann also said that parents are key to helping students understand the benefits and consequences of social media. “The parents have to stay involved; they just have to …I hate to say …hover over their kids.” Mann said, “If you are going to allow your kids’ access to social media or online access, you have to monitor what they are doing.”

The names of the minors charged have not been released to the media.