The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued new guidance to assist kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools in addressing anonymous threats of violence on social media, and to provide steps for school officials, law enforcement and community partners to take in assessing, responding, and preparing for threats.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools resource covers social media-based and other anonymous threats of violence – including phone calls – against K-12 institutions, which CISA stated are “common.”
“K-12 schools across the country are experiencing a scourge of anonymous threats of violence. School leaders need scalable solutions to navigate these ever-evolving and burdensome threats,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement.
“The K-12 Anonymized Threat Response Guidance provides step-by-step approaches to help schools better assess and respond to these threats, as well as take action to mitigate future risks in coordination with their law enforcement and other community partners,” Easterly said.
With 95 percent of youths between the ages of 13 and 17 using at least one social media platform, the ability to remain relatively anonymous while accessing online platforms has “reduced barriers to threatening communications and introduced myriad challenges for local education agencies across the country,” CISA said.
The CISA guidelines, co-developed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), can assist with attributing, managing, and addressing threats. This includes assessing whether a threat has come from a student – or someone outside of the school which has become increasingly commonplace, CISA said.
The guidance includes six “key strategies” for addressing threats including: developing a comprehensive threat management strategy by building awareness for early detection and deterrence; fostering school administrator partnerships with law enforcement and mental health professionals; engaging law enforcement in response management; conducting campus credible threat assessments; using multidisciplinary threat assessment teams; and continuous preparation through protocols and training exercises.
“In the face of these ongoing school threats, the strategies the FBI and our partners at CISA put together will hopefully prepare our educators and administrators to maneuver through difficult challenges,” said FBI Office of Partner Engagement Assistant Director Robert Contee in a statement.
“The more parents, teachers and administrators know, the more likely we are to keep our kids safe. The FBI is dedicated to safeguarding schools and communities who are impacted by anonymous threats, but we also want to urge parents to talk with their children about the consequences that come with making these threats. We all need to work together,” he continued.
The guidance was also announced at CISA’s 2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security this week.
