Shooting Threat that Closed Vineland Schools Was Viral Message, Cops Say

Vineland Public Schools will open on Friday after an internet threat was determined to be a fake and presented an opportunity for parents to talk to their children about their internet use.

A last-minute decision was made Wednesday night to close the schools on Thursday "out of an abundance of caution" while the threat was investigated.

A spokeswoman told the Vineland Daily Journal that the threat involved a possible school shooting made on social media and referred specifically to Vineland High School.

An investigation determined the threat was a generic posting that is being replicated and re-distributed. The district did not disclose who created the phony threat towards Vineland.

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"Please discuss the appropriate use of social media with your children and monitor what they are viewing. Our students, your children, are being exposed to potentially harmful content which can incite individuals to act out," the district wrote on their Facebook page.

Police said that TikTok challenges like "Devious Licks" in which participants are encouraged to commit acts of vandalism but destruction, violence, assault, and sexual harassment for posting online.

"Actions have consequences, and Vineland Public Schools shall consult the police department to file charges, expel guilty individuals, and demand restitution," the school district wrote.