(WWJ) — Over the last several years, the number of threats made against Metro Detroit schools has risen sharply.
Last week alone there were three nearly identical incidents at three separate schools in which bullets or shell casings were found on campus, prompting lockdowns.
The increased frequency of such events has made threats feel somewhat “routine.” But as WWJ's Zach Clark finds out on a new Daily J podcast, there is nothing routine about these threats — they are a huge problem.
David Mustonen, Director of Communications for Dearborn Public Schools, explained that an empty shell casing was found in a hallway at Dearborn High School on Feb. 6, prompting school officials to jump into action.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we took all the proper steps and measures that we needed to do to secure the school to make sure that we maintained a safe school environment,” Mustonen said on The Daily J.
Two days later a bullet found in a bathroom at Trenton High School prompted a lockdown and long delay of student dismissal. Two more days later, a bullet found at a Fraser middle school led to yet another lockdown.
The incidents go beyond the ammo found last week. Many students have been charged with making online or written threats in the two-plus years since the Oxford High School shooting.
“We have an incredible relationship with the Dearborn police, our own safety and security person was in communication with the Dearborn police and we took appropriate actions to make sure we maintained a safe school environment for our students and staff,” he said.
While school officials took those measures to keep student and staff safety a top priority, it can be very disruptive.
“When that happens, in this day and age, given the environment that we live in now with the constant threat of ‘maybe this is the real one,’ absolutely,” Mustonen said. “We have to engage in all of these safety precautions and they do take up time and they are disruptive to the school day.”
Often times, Mustonen says, the disruption goes far beyond that moment.
“Whether it be for 10 minutes or two hours, the disruption is more long-term. Because now you’re creating this environment where every time this happens, people are gonna react in different ways. Some people react very strongly and are panicked and get upset and are emotional and it can impact them for several days after,” he said.
Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido says his office is “dealing with it every day,” and says there needs to be more of an emphasis from parents and schools to help curb the increase of incidents.
“Why is the bullet found in a purse of a young lady as a middle schooler and why is a bullet found in the backpack of an eighth grader? Well, I’ll tell you why. It’s either somebody’s not monitoring at home what it is they’re bringing to school or they’re making it readily accessible to find these things in the home,” Lucido said.
He also believes it would be a “splendid idea” for schools to educate parents on the zero tolerance policy at the start of each school year.
But an emphasis also must fall on the students, Mustonen said.
“I don’t think that young people always understand the ramifications of their actions. And the ramifications can be very, very serious,” he said.
Just last month Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford High School shooter, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with her son’s shooting rampage that left four students dead and seven people injured on Nov. 30, 2021.
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