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Pennsylvania school districts report several students have received racist text messages
Lower Merion and Upper Darby school districts are warning parents about racist text messages received by a number of their students.
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Pennsylvania school district reports several students have received racist text messages
By Stephanie Ballesteros
Updated on: November 7, 2024 / 5:39 PM EST / CBS Philadelphia
A Montgomery County school district is warning parents about racist 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.
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 on 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.
Text Now 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. "