Detroit-Area Schools Closed Due to ‘Threats of Violence’ Following Oxford School Shooting

Students hug at a memorial at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021
AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Schools throughout the metro Detroit area are closed Thursday following “numerous reports of threats of violence” in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly school shooting at Oxford High School, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Superintendent Pat Watson of Bloomfield Hills Schools (BHS) wrote in a memo late Wednesday evening:

Over the past hour, BHS and other communities across the region have received numerous reports of threats of violence circulating on social media. Out of an abundance of caution, all BHS schools will be closed on Thursday, December 2, 2021. All after school activities are also cancelled.

The safety and security of our students is our top priority. We are in constant contact with Bloomfield Township Police who take every report or rumor seriously. We will follow up with you tomorrow with any updated information. Please take care of yourselves and one another.

Schools in Oakland County, which includes Oxford High School, will remain closed throughout the rest of the week, the report noted.

“It’s good that Oakland County is finally taking this seriously now, after the administrators at Oxford High School failed their students and the community,” Matthew Mansour, a parent of two students at Clarkston High School, told Breitbart News. “They knew that student shooter was a problem. They had two sit-downs with the parents and the student regarding ‘disturbing behavior,’ but they left the kid in the school that day to gun down his fellow students.

“They knew this was a problem. They have blood on their hands. They should have suspended him instead of coddling him, and now four beautiful lives are snuffed out, and the harm has resonated across our state.”

Mourners grieve at a memorial at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

An email obtained by Breitbart News that was sent to parents from Jarrad Grandy, executive director of student services with Oakland Schools Technical Campuses, said:

As you may or may not be aware, there are social media messages/threats that are circulating in which OTEC is mentioned.  We appreciate all of the parents and students that have alerted us regarding these social media messages.

Given the level of stress and angst in our community and in light of the recent tragedy in Oxford, Oakland Schools is to exercise an abundance of caution and cancel school tomorrow for all students at ALL OSTC campuses. We understand the very real pressure and fear that our students are feeling and know that our parents and staff are equally concerned.

We are in contact with local law enforcement, who take every report or rumor seriously and investigate immediately. We will follow up with you tomorrow with any updated information.

We are very thankful to the students and community members who brought this to our attention. That was absolutely the right thing to do so that we could work with authorities to investigate and take appropriate action. Having open lines of communication with our students—and our families—is vital to keeping everyone safe and we are grateful for the quick action of our students and community members.

A 15-year-old Oxford High School sophomore has been accused of carrying out the deadly shooting that took the lives of four students and injured seven others.

Police keep watch outside of Oxford High School on December 1, 2021, in Oxford, Michigan, following a school shooting the day before where four students were killed and seven injured. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

According to the Free Press, the following school districts were scheduled to be closed, at least on Thursday:

  • Bloomfield Hills School District
  • Holly Area Schools
  • Rochester Community Schools
  • Troy School District
  • Warren Consolidated Schools
  • Clarkston Community Schools
  • Lake Orion Community Schools
  • Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
  • Clawson Public Schools
  • Hazel Park Schools
  • Avondale School District
  • West Bloomfield School District
  • Lamphere and Madison District Public Schools in Madison Heights
  • Novi Community School District
  • Farmington (high schools only)

“Out of an abundance of caution, Clarkston Community Schools will be closed Thursday, December 2, and Friday, December 3,” that school district posted on its website, adding evening activities would be cancelled:

There have been dozens of indirect threats reported to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) throughout the county this evening. Our district has worked closely with the OCSO to investigate each threat with a possible connection to CCS. At this time, none of the threats investigated have been deemed credible. However, the volume of indirect threats in the county makes it impossible for law enforcement to investigate each threat thoroughly.

“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and at this time, we cannot take the risk,” the message read.

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