A viral "Cat in the Hat" social media trend sparking school closures and arrests across Kentucky in recent days has crept up to Campbell County Schools in Greater Cincinnati.
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 as the targets they're "coming" for.
Screenshots of a TikTok video from an account called "campbell countys catinthehat" circulated Facebook on Aug. 31, showing the character standing outside Campbell County High School. The content, which has since been deleted from the account, appears to be AI-generated, Facebook users said.
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district is aware of the images and has found no credible threat, Campbell County Schools stated in a letter posted on Sept. 1 on the district's website.
"Even so, we take anything involving the safety of our students and staff seriously," the letter stated. "We are working closely with law enforcement and have increased awareness and security measures throughout the district as an additional precaution."
Campbell County Police Department is not aware of the social media trend nor any credible threats related to it in the area, a spokesperson told The Enquirer.
The district urged parents to reinforce to students that generating or sharing threatening images is not a joke and can pose severe consequences. It referenced the McCracken County Sheriff's Office in Paducah, Kentucky's recent charges of second degree terroristic threatening against a 15-year-old teen who made threats via TikTok to McCracken County High School.
Covington Independent Public Schools' Media Specialist Shawn Wood told The Enquirer the district has not shared notices to families regarding the trend. Kenton County Schools, Boone County Schools and Newport Independent Schools did not respond to questions about whether they've been affected by the trend prior to publication.
Near Louisville, the "threatening language" tied to the trend spurred the closure of Catholic all-girls school Assumption High School on Aug. 31. The school has since reopened as of Sept. 1.
No credible threat to Assumption was identified, according to a letter sent to families from President of Assumption Mary Lang and Principal Martha Tedesco, but "every report must be taken seriously and investigated."
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."
Louisville Courier Journal reporters Kathryn Muchnick and Caroline Neal contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Campbell County Schools responds to 'Cat in the Hat' security threats
