We must all stand together to stop the dangerous new trend of using social media to instigate violence in our schools and communities.
Just this week, Connecticut and the nation marked the somber 9th anniversary of the Newtown massacre that left 20 students and 6 educators dead. We are all aware of the dangerous situations facing our children and our communities, and we need to take all threats seriously and put an end to the fear, danger, and disruption they create for our communities.
We encourage educators to continue to be diligent and report anything suspicious, and we urge parents to have regular discussions with their children about these threats.
It’s past time for candid conversations about the duty that social media platforms have in ensuring threats against schools are not allowed to go viral. Social media corporations have the ability to monitor, track, and remove posts that threaten public safety and must actively take steps to prevent their platforms from being used to promote violence in schools and communities. They should be held accountable when they fail to do so. The lives of our children and families depend on it.
