Social media rumor prompts 4th notice of alleged threats in GR schools

GRAND RAPIDS — A series of alleged threats and social media rumors contributed to hundreds of Grand Rapids students staying home from school during Homecoming Week, according to the superintendent.

An email sent to parents Thursday evening, Sept. 19, dispelled rumors of a student bringing a gun to Grand Rapids High School that day and the arrest of a student. It was the fourth such notice this week, with threats also reported at Robert J. Elkington Middle School.

“We did have a situation today where a student refused to work with us prior to entering the school. That student contacted a family member and made the choice to leave school for the day,” stated High School Principal Darrin Hofstad in an email.

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“As a school we work closely with law enforcement and I can assure you no weapons were found on campus today nor were any students arrested. Please call the school if you have questions or concerns as it is hard to keep up with misinformation.”

Independent School District No. 318 Superintendent Matt Grose told KAXE there were hundreds of high school and middle school students who stayed home Thursday.

“While we respect the parents’ rights to do what they feel is in the best interest of their children, we believe that we’ve taken all the steps necessary in the school district, law enforcement has taken the steps necessary, and we’ve taken the steps together as a team to ensure the safety of students,” he said.

More alleged threats

The announcement was the second received by parents and guardians of high schoolers this week. The first, sent Wednesday, reported a conflict between a small group of students, after which a threat was apparently directed at one of the individuals.

Middle school parents also received two notices. An email sent Monday reported a threat that was investigated over a week ago, with no evidence to support the threat was made.

“But it gained enough traction that we felt like we needed to make sure that our community knew, that we look into all these threats,” Grose explained.

The second email on Wednesday said an investigation into a threat “resulted in the identification of the individual responsible for the threat as well as what was said.” But Grose said that doesn’t mean there was a plan to carry out the threat or the means to do so.

“The school took immediate and appropriate action in accordance with our district policy, and then the law enforcement is working on whatever it is they determine is appropriate,” he said.

Grose said the middle school and high school incidents are not related. Speculation over the details of the situations flared in comment threads on Facebook, with people questioning why more information wasn’t released by the district or by the Grand Rapids Police Department.

“I just called the high school told them my child won’t be attending today and she heard someone is supposed to be bringing a gun today,” stated one commenter Thursday morning, before the district’s latest email.

Investigations include the interrogation of witnesses and the person accused, reviewing available video and documentation, talking with families and school staff about the involved students and determining if a student making threats has access to weapons, according to Grose. At the same time, he said the district is working to ensure the schools are secure.

Private information

For some parents, the language used in email notifications may feel vague and unhelpful. Grose acknowledged the school can only give a limited amount of information.

“And I understand as a parent that leaves you wondering, ‘Well is the threat actor still in school? Are they still a threat?’ And that’s not a question — in consulting with our attorney — that I don’t have the ability to say, ‘This specific disciplinary action has been taken,’” Grose said.

“I can say that we’ve followed our policy. That we’ve taken all the steps we need to, to ensure the safety of the school, and we’ve done those things.

"I understand that that’s frustrating for parents and unfortunately, we’re not able to tell them what some of them really want to know and that’s name and lots of details. We’re just not legally able to do that.”

Social media misinformation

Grose said because people can’t get all the information they want, they go to other sources like social media.

“And as a result, the story becomes inaccurate, the details become inaccurate and it results in hysteria sometimes,” he said.

He added if people have questions, they can contact law enforcement and the school district.

In a Grand Rapids Facebook group where rumors were being shared, School Board candidate Stephanie Lipscy posted Grose’s contact information and told people to call and email him.

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“He is turning a blind eye to the parents concerns regarding school threats, by not answering their questions,” she wrote.

Lipscy also posted several screenshots of the emails to parents detailing the threats over the course of the week. Her children are not educated in Grand Rapids schools and are instead homeschooled, according to her campaign page.

Social media is also complicating things on the investigation side, making it harder for schools and law enforcement to look into things, Grose said, noting threats like these aren’t unique to Grand Rapids.

“If you look at state news and national news, this seems to be behavior that is popping up,” he said. “Whether that’s kids not understanding the gravity of saying things that aren’t appropriate or what the case is. It just seems like we’re seeing this more and more.”

Even if people think the district is already investigating an incident, Grose said it’s always OK to report information.

“We work closely with law enforcement on every one of these. We have a great relationship with them. We have people trained in evaluating threats,” Grose said.

“We respond immediately and take appropriate action immediately. And yeah, if people see something they need to say something to people that can do something about it.”

He added the school takes the responsibility for the safety of students very seriously, and for some staff, it’s more than a responsibility.

“In many cases we take it seriously, not just ‘cause it’s our job but because we have children in these schools, too,” he said. “Maintaining the safety of these schools isn’t just a professional duty, which it certainly is, but it’s personal for us, too.”