A student at Melvindale High School has been charged with one count of false report or threat of terrorism by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
It is alleged that the 15-year-old student said he was going to shoot up the school via Snapchat to another student. A photograph of an individual holding a gun was forwarded in addition to the text.
The student who received the messages reported the communications to school officials, who, in turn, reported it to the Melvindale Police Department.
Police investigated the case and arrested the teen.
Kimberly Sorrano, superintendent for Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Schools, sent the following email to parents regarding the incident:
On Wednesday, February 21, it was brought to our attention that a threat had been made against Melvindale High School on social media. We immediately informed the Melvindale Police Department and began to work cooperatively with them to resolve this issue.
Our efforts resulted in the student involved being taken into custody. At no point did this situation ever pose any danger to our students or staff. With respect to any threats against our district, whether through inappropriate use of social media, or other means, rest assured that we will continue to work cooperatively with local authorities to investigate and prosecute these matters to the fullest extent of the law.
The safety of our students, staff, and community has always been our top priority in Melvindale-Northern Allen Park. Your children are our most precious commodity. Furthermore, our district began ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate- a nationwide initiative) training over 2 years ago and have taken steps to implement training throughout our district. This is an ongoing process and we will continue to pursue updated and more extensive training in the future.
We are a school community and will continue to operate as one. We would like to acknowledge our students and staff for helping to create a culture where communication and sharing information is vital. Finally, parents please encourage your children to continue to share with you and us any concerns from social media and other means regarding our district.
