A school district in New Jersey had to initiate a lockdown after encountering “a threat of violence.” This followed a case where an employee was wrongly connected to a heated social media post related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Students and staff at 11 schools in Linden were instructed to evacuate to safer locations on Thursday, as per a statement from the Linden Police Department.
Although police did not clarify the nature of the controversial clip, they stressed that the individual behind it is “not a Linden Public Schools employee and has not been before.”
In addition to the lockdown, the district will have increased law enforcement presence in the days to come, according to reports.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was tragically killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. As of Friday morning, the gunman was still at large.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead has urged an immediate response regarding the misinformation affecting employees and the district.
“This misinformation has led to one of our employees being targeted for harassment and threats. This individual is completely innocent and has no connection to the video,” he mentioned in a social media post.
He expressed deep concern for the safety of the employee and her students, especially given the threats to the school community.
The situation is now under investigation by local police.
“I recognize that people are understandably upset following the tragic events from yesterday, and we stand with those who have condemned this murder in the strongest possible terms,” the police department stated.
“Violence is never the solution, and we must ensure that such threats do not have a place in our society, especially within our schools.”
Schools in New Jersey placed on lockdown after staff member mistakenly identified as a commenter supporting Charlie Kirk, leading to ‘violent threats’
A school district in New Jersey had to initiate a lockdown after encountering “a threat of violence.” This followed a case where an employee was wrongly connected to a heated social media post related to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Students and staff at 11 schools in Linden were instructed to evacuate to safer locations on Thursday, as per a statement from the Linden Police Department.
Although police did not clarify the nature of the controversial clip, they stressed that the individual behind it is “not a Linden Public Schools employee and has not been before.”
In addition to the lockdown, the district will have increased law enforcement presence in the days to come, according to reports.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was tragically killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. As of Friday morning, the gunman was still at large.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead has urged an immediate response regarding the misinformation affecting employees and the district.
“This misinformation has led to one of our employees being targeted for harassment and threats. This individual is completely innocent and has no connection to the video,” he mentioned in a social media post.
He expressed deep concern for the safety of the employee and her students, especially given the threats to the school community.
The situation is now under investigation by local police.
“I recognize that people are understandably upset following the tragic events from yesterday, and we stand with those who have condemned this murder in the strongest possible terms,” the police department stated.
“Violence is never the solution, and we must ensure that such threats do not have a place in our society, especially within our schools.”
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