WEST MICHIGAN — Allegan, Jenison, Grandville are among several districts receiving copycat threats after an incident with a substitute in South Haven Tuesday.
Three Rivers Community Schools closed down Thursday and Friday
Jenison canceled class Friday after Snapchat posts surfaced— while it seemed superimposed, the word "Jenison" was added to the posts, causing concern. The closure is cautionary, though, said officials.
“Threats of this nature are always totally unacceptable,” the district writes. “Jenison Public Schools will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and will be prosecuting those involved to the fullest extent of the law.”
South Haven and Allegan chose to stay open after both districts started got tips relating to Tuesday's incident, alleging threats were made against both districts because of it. Investigators have dispelled these as rumors circulating on social media, says Allegan's superintendent, James Antoine.
"...we have determined that the source of this rumor is due to misinformation related to a situation that occurred in an adjacent district with a substitute teacher who has ties to Allegan County," Antoine, wrote to parents. "While we understand that these highly concerning rumors are far-reaching and traveled quickly this evening, school will be in session Friday, September 13 as we have determined that there is not a substantiated threat to school safety."
"We understand that misinformation, specifically regarding school safety, travels quickly and is fear-inducing for students, staff, and families alike," wrote South Haven school officials in an email sent to parents and guardians. "We are confident in the investigation completed by law enforcement."
Grandville's Superintendent, Roger Bearup, alerted parents that the rumors causing Jenison to close had been reported by Grandville students, prompting OK2Say to alert the district.
"After an investigation by the Grandville Police Department in conjunction with Grandville Administration, it was determined that this was not initially posted by a Grandville student but was reposted by some and was not targeting Grandville Public Schools." Bearup wrote.
It's a trend often seen after school shootings, this time triggered by the tragedy at Apalachee High School in Georgia and fueled by a situation with a South Haven substitute teacher dismissed for threatening comments towards students and later arrested for erratic actions leading to property damage in Allegan County.
It also happened in the wake of the Oxford High School shooting.
The false claims are followed back to their source and the party involved can face felony charges.
“We're talking about activity or consequences that can range from one-year misdemeanors all the way to 20-year felonies,” Muskegon County Prosecutor, DJ Hilson said back in 2021 when FOX 17 first dove into this disturbing trend. “My office, as well as my colleagues across the state, are going to take these situations very, very serious.”
Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) released a letter Friday saying their thorough investigation into the recent threats are complete and have determined those threats are not credible. We're told additional details will not be released due to laws governing student confidentiality.
TRCS asks the community not to post information online, as it could make investigations more complicated and stoke fear and anxiety.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly named South Haven Public Schools as one of the schools that closed due to threats. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused.
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