Assumption High School was closed Aug. 31 after a post related to a viral "Cat in the Hat" social media trend sparked safety concerns.
The trend involves posting pictures and videos of a life-sized version of the Dr. Seuss character lurking outside windows, according to CNN. Anonymous accounts post threatening or unsettling content and sometimes name specific schools or students.
No credible threat to Assumption has been identified, according to a letter sent to families from President of Assumption Mary Lang and Principal Martha Tedesco.
The trend has not been linked to a planned attack, the letter said. But some accounts used "threatening language or identified real schools and students, so every report must be taken seriously and investigated."
"We understand that the decision to move to digital learning today created an inconvenience for families. Because the information reached us late Sunday evening and was still being evaluated by law enforcement, we believed pausing on-campus activities was the most responsible course while LMPD and Homeland Security completed their review," the letter stated.
Assumption will resume in-person classes Sept. 1, the letter said.
In a statement, the Louisville Metro Police Department echoed that there is "no information indicating a credible threat" associated with the posts, but it takes "all reports involving school safety seriously."
"Our Homeland Security Unit is actively reviewing information related to these incidents, working with school administrators, and investigating the origin of any posts that may be causing alarm," the statement said.
LMPD spokesperson Dwight Mitchell also confirmed the department is "aware of (the) situation involving Assumption High School" and that their Homeland Security Unit is investigating.
Districts across Kentucky have reported threats made in recent days, some of which have been linked to the trend.
Messages tied to the "Cat in the Hat" trend have been sent to students in Oldham County, according to a letter sent to families and obtained by The Courier Journal.
"We have no information that these messages represent a credible threat to student safety. This trend has appeared in numerous districts nationwide over the past two months," the letter from Director of Student Services Eric Davis stated. "In nearly every documented case, law enforcement has determined the content to be fabricated, using anonymous accounts and AI-generated images to provoke fear rather than carry out any actual act of violence."
Still, Oldham County encouraged families to discuss the trend with their students and asked students not to share any personal information or meet up with anyone connected to an online post or challenge. Students should report any threatening messages to a parent, school administrator or law enforcement and "save the message as evidence rather than deleting it," the letter said.
Near Paducah, officials have linked threats to McCracken County High School that were "communicated through TikTok" to a teen who was arrested in Polk County, Florida, according to a Facebook post from the McCracken County Sheriff's Office. The FBI alerted Polk County officials to the threat, and they identified a 15-year-old male in Lakeland, Florida, as the source.
The McCracken County Sheriff's Office has filed charges of identity theft, second degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications against the teen.
In Allen County, another juvenile was connected to threatening messages sent to students through Snapchat and other social media platforms. The messages came from an individual identifying themself as "Cat in the Hat."
"Because this matter involves a juvenile, no identifying information will be released," according to a statement from the Allen County-Scottsville Crime Task Force.
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Flemingsburg Police Chief Daniel Pollock also said his department was made aware of the social media trend in which "accounts using the name or likeness of the children's character have circulated lists naming Kentucky schools and individual students" and suggested "the character is 'coming for' those students."
"After reviewing the information available to our agency, we have found no reason to believe there is a credible threat to Fleming County Schools or to any school, student, or staff member in our community," Pollock wrote. "Nothing we have seen indicates an imminent or specific plan to cause harm here."
Kathryn Muchnick covers children and education. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Cat in the Hat' trend sparks Louisville school closure, safety concerns