Parents in Livonia voice concerns after group chat among sixth graders allegedly turns violent
LIVONIA, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Some parents in Livonia say they are worried after a sixth grader allegedly made a threat in a group chat. They are now calling on the Livonia Public Schools district to hold the student accountable.
"I really don't know what it says about society but speaking on guns is so lax with these kids," one parent told CBS News Detroit.
Parents at Johnson Upper Elementary contacted CBS News Detroit after a group chat took a threatening turn.
One parent said her daughter showed her the messages from one student sending pictures of guns.
"It was clear some of them were fake, but one he had it framed, you couldn't tell, and he said this is not a toy, and that's when I said, that's enough," the parent said.
In the messages, the student allegedly told classmates to wait until Monday. Parents were worried about what could happen next and notified authorities.
"It was multiple parts to it [messages]; it wasn't just one passing comment. It was several," the parents said.
Police investigated the messages over the weekend. Parents reportedly notified the district of the messages, but they believe the administrators' efforts were lax.
"It's terrifying to know that those threats are out there because you want to send them to school and know they are safe," another parent said.
Parents say when they went to speak to the school, they were told the student was removed for the day. According to both parents we talked with, the student responsible for the alleged threats will have their bags checked over the next two weeks.
"If you get away with this behavior as an 11-12-year-old, what happens when you're in high school," one parent said.
Livonia schools sent the following statement to CBS News Detroit:
"The Johnson administration worked closely with the Livonia Public Schools Public Safety Administrator and the Livonia Police Department upon learning about a text thread between some students last weekend.
"As with any concerning communications that may be brought to our attention, all safety protocols were implemented (over the weekend) to determine whether there was a threat to the school community.
"Police conducted interviews and a home visit and determined that there was no threat to Johnson Upper Elementary. We take all threats seriously and we appreciate our relationship with our local law enforcement who work tirelessly alongside our administration to keep our students, staff, and school communities safe."
"We don't know if the kid learned a lesson. I have no idea," a parent said.
Both parents say they believe the district should've alerted families schoolwide to the threat.
"There should be notifications when these things happen. There should be policy change. It should be zero tolerance when it comes to certain things. It's a serious thing."