HASTINGS, Mich. — Hastings City Police gave FOX 17 an update Saturday night on the alleged threat against the Hastings Area School System, confirming there is not threat to the district.
The Hastings Area School System closed Friday after learning about an unconfirmed threat Thursday night.
READ MORE: Hastings Area Schools closed due to unconfirmed threat
Chief Dale Boulter said Saturday that investigators interviewed more than 50 people about the reported threats.
Police, while investigating and working closely with school administrators, were able to figure out where the conversation and comments took place.
Investigators also found the original social media post and determined that the implied threat of a school shooting was not a valid depiction of the conversation in question.
The police department will not say what the outcome of the investigation was, nor will it release any names; however, Chief Boulter says he is confident that there is no threat to the district related to the reports received Thursday.
Chief Boulter went on to say the following:
“Each person in the Hastings School District, the Hastings Police Department and the Hastings School Administration takes each matter of school safety very seriously. This incident caused many disruptions throughout the school district, affected the community and spread the fear of becoming another statistic. The fear generated by these types of incidents is expected due to current events across the nation and here in our own state.
“The safety of each school district depends on students, parents and community members using the correct channels of communication when reporting any type of active violence information. I do not want to discourage anyone from speaking up if they are in fear or suspect information they’ve received may signify any type of school violence. In such situations, I encourage people to use the proper channels to deliver the information as quickly as possible to law enforcement or school administration. The sooner law enforcement or school staff receives the information, the safer students, staff and community members will be.”
Police will submit their final report to the Barry County prosecutor on Monday for review.
