Newsroom

YCSD Safety Message

Dear Families and Staff,

The York County School Division and the York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office (YPSO) are aware of information circulating on the social media platform Tik Tok. These posts refer to a threat to school safety “for every school in the USA” on Friday, December 17. We do not have any threats specific to YCSD schools, but are monitoring this national situation closely.

I want to assure you YCSD and YPSO will take appropriate action for any posts or comments that threaten YCSD schools, students and staff. The division has extensive safety and security procedures in place in all our schools on a daily basis and you may notice an increased presence from YPSO on and around our campuses tomorrow. Additionally, staff members will be available to speak with students throughout the day if needed. These measures will be in place to reaffirm to our students, staff, families and community that safety is our top priority.

Social media is a powerful – and sometimes dangerous – tool. Earlier this year, multiple YCSD schools experienced incidents of vandalism in bathrooms and classrooms due to Tik Tok challenges. Another challenge encourage students to slap teachers. These incidents, and other student disciplinary incidents, are disruptive to our classrooms and interfere with teaching and learning.

The division is collaborating with YPSO to plan a community conversation in January to discuss how we can work together as a community to address these serious issues. We will share additional information about that event after the break.

In the meantime, please take time tonight - and over Winter Break - to have family discussions about appropriate student behavior, both online and in schools, as well as the consequences for inappropriate behavior. The YCSD Student Handbook and Conduct Code is available on the division website and can serve as a valuable resource for that conversation.

Finally, I want to thank the students and families who have reported recent incidents and ask our students, staff, families and community members who become aware of any potential threat to notify a school staff member, a trusted adult, and law enforcement right away. We will continue to investigate every report received.

As always, thank you for your partnership to ensure a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for our students.

Sincerely,

Victor D. Shandor, Ed.D.
Division Superintendent
York County School Division

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