No evidence of credible threats found at Newton schools

Following investigations from law enforcement about perceived threats to Newton schools, administrators have deemed the recent reports traced from a viral TikTok video to be non-credible for every building in the district. Newton is one of several school districts across the country responding to this social media post.

The video included a number of “targeted schools,” which was initially believed by many to be a hit list. However, it has since been revealed the list was a cropped document from the Georgia Department of Education identifying Title I schools that excluded other geographical information, like county locations.

Among those schools included in the list was Newton County School District in Covington, Ga. Because it shared a similar name with the Iowa-based Newton Community School District, law enforcement was notified and worked with administrators to determine the legitimacy of the supposed threats.

Newton Superintendent Tom Messinger said in a Sept. 12 letter to Cardinal families that the district has been responding to all concerns in collaboration with the police department. But to this point there are no situations which have produced any evidence of a threat to any buildings or people in the district.

“Police officers have worked very hard to track down the sources of information and it appears that it is stemming back to the concerns raised from the reports from earlier in the week,” he said. “The Newton Community School District will be taking additional measures to ensure the safety of our students and staff.”

About the same time the TikTok video had circulated on the internet is when Berg Middle School staff responded to a potential threat, which again produced no evidence to support. Messinger told Newton News it was a mixture of bad timing and the false report circulating on social media that created a panic.

In order to ensure the safety of all school inhabitants, the district had staff members monitor the entrances and exits of every building. Student traffic was also kept to a minimum in the hallways and they were reminded to use the appropriate entry points to buildings.

Messinger emailed teachers this week explaining the school’s response and the challenges other districts across the country are facing as a result of this TikTok video. He told them at a recent School Safety Task Force meeting he was called out of a two-hour meeting four times to take phone calls about school threats.

While Messinger understood this type of news is frightening to hear, he assured families that no report or information provided to the district will be ignored.

“We will act on all information swiftly and will continue to involve the Newton Police Department to investigate every situation,” Messinger said. “If any of our students feel anxious, afraid or overwhelmed, there will be school staff to help them work through their emotions.”