As Oklahoma Classrooms See Rise In Online Threats, School Districts Finding New Ways To Keep Students Safe

With several schools across the state now seeing a rise in online threats, Oklahoma City Public Schools is coming up with new ways to limit their spread on the internet.

Officials at OKCPS say social media is to blame for the rise in threats, and that when a threat is posted, it can become reshared instantly, causing fear and trauma for students, teachers and parents.

While every threat is meant to be taken seriously, OKCPS said the district is warning people against resharing threats, and ask people to send it directly to police and to the school district, so they can determine its credibility.

“We have some very specific protocols and procedures that we follow to make sure that, doors are locked, that people are screened, that students are screened, that visitors are screened,” OKCPS director of security Wayland Cubit said. “We’re going to great detail to make sure that the kids are safe.”

The district said it has more than 5,000 security cameras, and if a threat is credible, they will then put the school involved on 24-hour surveillance.

If you’re a parent, the district says it is asking for you to have a conversation with your child about social media, and to remind them if they see something, to say something.