Pennsylvania school districts report several students have received racist text messages
Several school districts in Montgomery and Delaware counties are warning parents about racist and derogatory text messages targeting students.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians Thursday, Lower Merion School District Acting Superintendent Megan E. Shafer said at least six of their middle school students have reported receiving the racist text messages.
"The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted," Shafer said. "While the source of these messages has not been determined, we want to unequivocally state that racist language is unacceptable in our schools and will not be tolerated."
Shafer did not say what the text messages said or when they were sent. It's also unclear who is sending the messages.
She says the incidents have been reported to Lower Merion Township police for further investigation.
Another school district in Montgomery County, Cheltenham School District, also warned parents about the disturbing trend. However, the superintendent said the school district has not been directly impacted.
"The racist nature of these text messages is disturbing, and I am even more concerned that the text messages are targeting children," Superintendent Dr. Brian W. Scriven said in a letter to the community. "Even though it appears no one in our Cheltenham School District community has been directly impacted, I know surrounding school districts are dealing with this, and, out of an abundance of caution, wanted you to be aware."
The Upper Darby School District also sent a similar letter to parents Thursday about texts targeting some of their high school students.
"We have alerted the Upper Darby police and have provided them with the text message," Upper Darby High School Principal Dr. Craig Parkinson said. "This post contains content that does not align with our school's values of respect, inclusivity, and civil discourse. We are taking this matter seriously and addressing it promptly, as we have contacted our local police department."
There have been similar reports made in other states. The texts were sent from numbers with area codes in dozens of states including Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Florida and California, according to screenshots reviewed by CBS News Confirmed. Several of the numbers were disconnected Thursday, while others went to voicemail that identified them as using a service called 'TextNow,' a coverage provider that allows people to create phone numbers for free.
TextNow said in a statement, "We do not condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future."