Southfield schools closed Monday after gun threat
(CBS DETROIT) - All schools in the Southfield Public Schools district are closed Monday after a potential threat of gun violence was made against Southfield high school campuses over the weekend.
The district canceled classes at all schools as Southfield police worked to confirm if the threat was credible.
All extracurricular activities at the schools are also canceled.
"What we've learned during the process of our investigation is that this is a non-credible allegation which stemmed from a conflict between a student and a teacher sometime last week," said Southfield Police Chief Elvin V. Barren. "Then that incident spiraled into a rumor that the teacher would shoot up the school based on being terminated or disciplined, which is also false."
Barren says a middle school student reported the false threat through the OK2Say application.
"The teacher who was the subject of this was very upset to learn that this misinformation was provided because, as described to me, this teacher really loves the students," Barren said.
Monday's threat comes less than two weeks after a 15-year-old Detroit boy was arrested after a school resource officer found a gun at Southfield A&T High School. A gun was found in the student's waistband. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, resisting and obstructing and possession of a weapon in a weapons-free school zone.
As threats against schools seem to become a regular occurrence across the country, parents say it's a terrifying threat.
"It's absolutely terrifying, and this is totally unacceptable at this point in society in the States that we have to deal with these threats that are made to our kids — or against our kids," said parent Jacqui Sullivan.
"It sends you into panic mode. Automatically sends you into panic mode. And you start rethinking of what you're going to do with them for the day. Thank God I have older children," added parent Danielle Robinson.
If you have any information on this incident, you're asked to contact Southfield Public Schools Chief of Staff James Jackson at 248-746-8500 or report it to OK2Say.
