Moscow School District’s last day before break goes smoothly

Moscow School District Superintendent Greg Bailey reported no incidents Friday evening after a TikTok challenge calling for students to commit violence had schools across the country on heightened alert.

The Moscow Police Department had an officer at each school, and staff monitored the hallways between classes. Despite the extra precautions, Bailey said it ended up being an uneventful last day before the holiday break.

“There were absolutely no issues,” he said. “We had good attitudes all the way around.”

The school district’s middle and high school principals became aware of the TikTok challenge directed toward K-12 students Thursday night and communicated their concerns with School Resource Officer Rick Whitmore.

While a previous trend urged students to damage school property, the latest challenge on the social media platform directed its younger audience to commit some form of violence during their final day before winter break.

In an email to parents and guardians Friday morning, Bailey stated school district staff members were asked to be on the lookout for any possible conflicts that could arise.

“Teachers and administration are asked to monitor the halls during passing periods,” the email stated. “We will also continue to have our outside doors locked throughout the day.”

He added the notice was sent out of an abundance of caution, not to create unnecessary panic.

After classes were released, Bailey told the Daily News he was glad to see students enjoy the last day of school without incident.

“This was a national concern and we just wanted to make sure the precautionary measures were in place,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of support from the community.”

Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.