As the community reeled from the school shooting in Oxford last week, local administrators took steps to cope with the collateral impact on students and parents.
As area high schools were dismissed early on Thursday and closed on Friday following the shooting incident, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged seven juvenile respondents with alleged threats of violence against a school, one of whom is a student at Belleville High School. That 13-year-old boy was released on a $1,000 bond and is due back in court next week to face charges, according to a report from Worthy's office.
“There is a stranglehold on Southeastern Michigan now. School threats naturally put everyone on edge. Today my office processed and charged six juveniles for threats and one for having a weapon in the wake of the tragedy at Oxford High School,” said Worthy. “Thankfully, these matters were all thwarted and no one was harmed.
While the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has always tried to be vigilant and proactive in these cases, it does not mean that it will not continue to occur. I urge everyone to be cautious, to be alert, and above all, immediately report what you know, hear, and see.”Juveniles do not receive adult sentences. Upon conviction the judge will fashion a sentence considering the crime committed, and the rehabilitation of the juvenile offender, she added.
In John Glenn High School in Westland, four guards from Securitas AB will patrol the hallways while two guards will be assigned to Wayne Memorial, where there is a smaller enrollment, district officials said. Wayne-Westland Community Schools Superintendent John Dignan said the guards were not in response to the shooting at Oxford but had been in the planning since the schools returned to in-person learning after the COVID pandemic remote learning restrictions.
The unarmed guards will be present throughout the school day, Dignan said, and will be in addition to the student resource officer from the Westland Police Department who is based at John Glenn. That officer serves the entire 18-school district of about 9,500 students, officials confirmed.
“Our goal is for all students to achieve high academic standards within a safe learning environment. Our focus continues to be encouraging and modeling positive behaviors and peer relationships. Strong, trusting relationships allow students to feel safe so they can thrive in an academic setting,” Dignan wrote in a letter to parents.
In the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, district officials said they “continue to work with local law enforcement officials and are investigating every rumor. To date, there have been no direct threats of violence to any of the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. As we strive to keep our school community safe, our local law enforcement partners will provide additional police and security presence at all PCCS schools as long as it is necessary.”
Superintendent Monica Merritt urged parents to warn students about the power of words.
“Parents also should talk to their students about refraining from participating in conversations (either online or in-person) about threats of violence. Even if they are not serious about the threat, or are sharing a message from someone else, their actions could lead to serious consequences and/or have a negative impact on the school community.”
School administrators and police urged parents to be vigilant.
“Please remind your students about the importance of sharing information with a trusted adult, school employee, or law enforcement official instead of circulating it among other students on social media,” administrators and police officials,” they urged in a prepared statement. “We encourage adults and students to use the State of Michigan's OK2SAY Tip Line. The OK2SAY number is 1-855-565-2729, you can text to 652729, or you can send an email to ok2say@mi.gov.”
In addition, school officials noted that there is help for students traumatized by the events of last week. For help or information, contact: Beaumont-Adams Child & Adolescent Health Center, (734) 728-2423; Hegira Health Inc., (734) 793-5026 or https://www.hegirahealth.org/; SandCastles of Wayne County, (313) 874-6881 or www.aboutsandcastles.org or EasterSeals of Michigan 1-800-757-3257 or www.easterseals.com/michigan
