December 16, 2021
Good afternoon, HUUSD Staff, Parents and Community Members,
I hope you are well. I regret needing to send you this notification, but I believe you should have it. We received information from the Vermont Agency of Education and some community members about some disturbing social media related to another Tik Tok challenge. Administrators across the nation have been made aware of a national TikTok trend threatening gun violence at school on December 17, 2021. HUUSD schools have not been mentioned. In fact, no Vermont school has been identified. Information about these threats is considered non-credible. We have not received any threats, we feel school is very safe, and we plan to have school tomorrow. This situation serves as a 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. The Vermont Agency of Education has sent us information to pass along to all of you. HERE. The Vermont Intelligence Center (VIC) has contacted the state’s law enforcement agencies to inform them of these social media threats.
We want to take a moment to remind all staff, students and parents to reach out anytime throughout the year to school officials and law enforcement if you know of any specific threats or witness any suspicious activity. You can also reach out to the Vermont State School Safety Tip Line as follows:
Text: Safe4VT to 274637
Call: 844-723-3488 (844-Safe4VT)
Web: www.safe4vt.org
I am sending this message to you in the spirit of communication and collaboration. Our team takes the safety of our community most seriously and wants to communicate what is being posted on social media. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to helping us to keep our school communities safe.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Brigid Nease
