Sussex Hamilton schools close on Friday due to student social media posts

The Hamilton School District in Sussex closed on Friday as authorities could not determine if there was a credible threat behind the messages posted by local students on social media, school district officials said Thursday evening .

Denise Dorn Lindberg, public information coordinator for the Hamilton School District, said administrators were unsure whether the posts linked to nationwide viral posts on TikTok about the bombings and threats. in schools Friday. The authorities had not really found any credible threats on TikTok.

In a message shared with families Thursday night, Hamilton School District Superintendent Paul Mielke said a high school student in the district took a screenshot of an “inappropriate photo” and shared it on Snapchat. Another student in the district reposted it and added a “reckless post that was meant to add humor,” Mielke said.

After seeing the messages, administrators alerted local law enforcement officials, who then interviewed the students at their homes, Mielke said in the message. At 9.45pm, authorities could not “guarantee that the threat was not credible,” Mielke said.

“We also wanted to give families more time to make childcare arrangements, if necessary,” Mielke wrote. “Therefore, out of excess of caution, students and staff will not have school tomorrow at any of our schools.”

The investigation is ongoing, said Dorn Lindberg.

“It was a difficult decision and one that was not taken lightly,” said Dorn Lindberg.

Contact Rory Linnane at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.