I wrote to parents about the horrendous incident at Oxford High School Monday and today I would like to share additional information and resources with you.
Schools across Michigan have been experiencing threats since the OHS incident occurred. We, too, have received threats. Each is being actively investigated by the school and by the Wayland City Police Department. If there was an immediate threat or an emergency, parents would be contacted immediately. At this time, investigations are in progress and nothing has been substantiated.
We need your help to keep our schools safe. Please discuss the following topics with your child(ren):
- If your child(ren) sees and/or hears anything that is suspicious, they should report it to an adult at school immediately. After school hours, reports can be made to OK2SAY. Please do not assume that the school is already aware.
- Please monitor your child’s social media accounts. Information on how to monitor accounts is available at this link.
- We take all threats seriously; making threats is a crime. Please speak with your children about the seriousness of making or sharing threats. Law enforcement and school leaders will investigate every threat and take whatever action is warranted to protect our schools and community. You may choose to visit Ramifications of Making Threats and what may happen when threats are made for resources to discuss with your child.
- Processing this serious event has an impact on each of us. Here are a few resources to assist you in talking to your child(ren) about traumatic events:
Thank you in advance for your help in keeping our schools safe. If you have weapons at home, please ensure they are locked and inaccessible to your child(ren). Project ChildSafe offers free gun locks. Please seek out this resource if it applies to you: Project ChildSafe.
Wayland Union Schools will continue to do our part in promoting school safety. WUS employs a full-time District Safety Officer. We provide training and drills for all emergencies. We work collaboratively with all local law enforcement agencies, including Wayland City Police, Wayland State Police, Gun Lake Tribal Police, and Allegan County Sheriff’s Department. We have staff trained in crisis response and staff available to support our students.
Again, the threats we have received are being investigated and have not been substantiated. If we have reason to believe our students are not safe to be at school, you will be notified immediately.
If you have any questions or concerns, I will be at Bell’s Colonial Kitchen in Dorr Friday morning at 8:30. I have office hours each Tuesday at 10 a.m. and Thursdays at 2 p.m. Additionally, I can be reached at hindsc@waylandunion.org or you may contact Dawn Stein at steind@waylandunion.org to schedule an appointment.