MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — So far this school year, law enforcement agencies have investigated more than a dozen school threats.
Let that sink in.
Thankfully, most of them turned out to be copied and pasted from elsewhere. Still, they tie up police resources and cause understandable alarm.
On Thursday, an eighth-grade student in Mt. Juliet was arrested for creating a post that threatened a school shooting at Mt. Juliet Middle School and Green Hill High School. Police said she created a TikTok using the face of the Georgia school shooter. A day before, a 13-year-old in Nashville was arrested after he admitted to making a verbal threat against H.G. Hill Middle School.
We talked to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office about the time and energy these investigations take. Threats are not taken lightly.
"We're not going to tolerate any threat on social media or any threat in general whether it's jokingly or intentionally," said Capt. Scott Moore.
Unfortunately, some students don't comprehend how seriously law enforcement takes social media posts. In the case of the Mt. Juliet girl, Capt. Moore said she told him she made the post to be funny.
"My response to that statement was you've caused a lot of panic, fear, anxiety around our community. I said you have students who have not been in school today because of what was said on that account you made up. I said that's serious," Capt. Moore said.
Just last year, Tennessee passed a zero-tolerance law. It mandated punishments for students who made threats, such as expulsion and having their driving privileges taken away.
There are actions parents and guardians can do at home to curb the troubling trend, like using a gun lock.
At the end of August, the Metro Public Health Department in Nashville started to offer free gun locks.
"If that gun is locked up, harder to access, that can save some lives," said Matthew Peters.
The free gun locks are available at all three public health centers. More than 1,000 gun locks have been distributed.
"We want to remove any barrier there is," Matthew Peters said. "We want to make sure you have every opportunity to keep [your gun] safely."
Locking up guns and reminding kids that online comments have real-world consequences are things parents can do to help.
"As a parent, you have to be proactive, and involved in your child's life. You have to encourage them not to do this or that because there are consequences," Capt. Moore said.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
