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Tennessee Students Launch Elaborate Prank, Try to Fool TV Station Into Announcing Snow Day

By Mitchell Trinka

January 21, 2016

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Tricksters looking to score a day off from school attempted a feat of impersonation that even famous fraudster Frank Abagnale would find hard to pull off.

The digitally-savvy charlatans took to social media late Tuesday, falsely portraying themselves as Tennessee school officials in an attempt to fool Chattanooga's WTVC News Channel 9 into announcing inaccurate school cancellations for the next day.

The news station’s retort? Nice try, kids.

Also, kids? Don't DM us pretending you are some school official cancelling school. Closings don't work like that. & we're not that dumb.

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 19, 2016

.@joshacagan we're still waiting for 3 kids in a trenchcoat claiming to be the superintendent to show up.

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 20, 2016

Even as the pranksters tried to take matters into their own hands, other students were barraging the news outlet with questions about potential closures:

Hey, kids? Y'all are writing us privately on FB as if we wouldn't report it if Hamilton Co schools closed. We promise: we will if it happens

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 19, 2016

When a kid asks "do we have school tomorrow" like they think we already know what school they go to https://t.co/TYcmL8PYt9

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 20, 2016

"Do we have school tomorrow?" dozens of kids ask us privately on Facebook. We ALWAYS say: you'll find out here: https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 20, 2016

Convincing yourself there WILL be school tomorrow increases the chances there WON'T be.

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 20, 2016

@newschannelnine do Hamilton County have school tomorrow ?

— Slave Master (@YrnTwinn) January 20, 2016

Ironically enough, just a day later, the kids ultimately got what they wanted:

JUST IN: Hamilton County Schools are closed Thursday. https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7

— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) January 20, 2016

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                <h1>Tennessee Students Launch Elaborate Prank, Try to Fool TV Station Into Announcing Snow Day</h1>

                <h2></h2>

                <p class="sans">By <a rel="author" href="https://www.the74million.org/contributor/20095/">Mitchell Trinka</a></p>

                <img src="https://www.the74million.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1453409407_1861.png">

                <p>This story first appeared at <a href="https://www.the74million.org">The 74</a>, a nonprofit news site covering education. <a href="https://www.the74million.org/about/newsletters/?utm_source=republish-button&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=republish">Sign up for free newsletters from The 74</a> to get more like this in your inbox.</p>
                <div class="article__paragraph">
<div class="article__paragraph opening" dir="ltr">Tricksters looking to score a day off from school attempted a feat of impersonation that even famous fraudster Frank Abagnale would find hard to pull off.</div>
<div class="article__paragraph" dir="ltr">The digitally-savvy charlatans took to social media late Tuesday, falsely portraying themselves as Tennessee school officials in an attempt to fool Chattanooga's WTVC News Channel 9 into announcing inaccurate school cancellations for the next day.</div>
<div class="article__paragraph">The news station’s retort? Nice try, kids.</div>
</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Also, kids? Don't DM us pretending you are some school official cancelling school. Closings don't work like that. & we're not that dumb.</p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689574421238013952">January 19, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/joshacagan">@joshacagan</a> we're still waiting for 3 kids in a trenchcoat claiming to be the superintendent to show up.</p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689917164451713024">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<div class="article__paragraph">Even as the pranksters tried to take matters into their own hands, other students were barraging the news outlet with questions about potential closures:</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hey, kids? Y'all are writing us privately on FB as if we wouldn't report it if Hamilton Co schools closed. We promise: we will if it happens</p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689573913509117952">January 19, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">When a kid asks "do we have school tomorrow" like they think we already know what school they go to <a href="https://t.co/TYcmL8PYt9">https://t.co/TYcmL8PYt9</a></p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689886056641085440">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Do we have school tomorrow?" dozens of kids ask us privately on Facebook. We ALWAYS say: you'll find out here: <a href="https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7">https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7</a></p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689867969871101952">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Convincing yourself there WILL be school tomorrow increases the chances there WON'T be.</p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689908326004580354">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine">@newschannelnine</a> do Hamilton County have school tomorrow ?</p>
<p>— Slave Master (@YrnTwinn) <a href="https://twitter.com/YrnTwinn/status/689914472333451264">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<div class="article__paragraph">Ironically enough, just a day later, the kids ultimately got what they wanted:</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">JUST IN: Hamilton County Schools are closed Thursday. <a href="https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7">https://t.co/KBd0VXyaB7</a></p>
<p>— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) <a href="https://twitter.com/newschannelnine/status/689952322219327489">January 20, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>

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Tennessee Students Launch Elaborate Prank, Try to Fool TV Station Into Announcing Snow Day

Sharpen Up!

Most Popular

This Hartford Public High School Grad Can’t Read. Here’s How it Happened

Study: AI-Assisted Tutoring Boosts Students’ Math Skills

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