Student admits to making threats

A Mt. Pleasant student who initially reported finding a threat of violence at Mt. Pleasant High School early Thursday morning has since admitted to writing two separate threats.

Mt. Pleasant police were at the school just before 8 a.m. Thursday after the student reported finding a written gun threat, police said late Thursday afternoon.

The school was already in enhanced secure mode when officers arrived.

Police conducted a complete security check of the school, and as an extra precaution brought in bomb sniffing dogs. There were no weapons or bombs found during these searches.

“While on site, police spoke with the student who initially discovered and reported the threat and found inconsistencies in their statement,” they said.

“That same student later ad

mitted to writing the gun threats on Tuesday, Dec. 7 and Thursday, Dec. 9.”

The investigation report has been turned over to the Isabella County Prosecutors Office.

In the wake of the Oxford shootings, Mt. Pleasant Superintendent Jennifer Verleger had addressed the safety situation to parents earlier.

“Following the shooting, I shared information about the measures our district is taking to protect staff and students during an active shooter or other emergency event,” she said in a letter.

“Since then, we’ve received multiple threats at our schools. In every case, police were called, responded to the school, and determined there was not a credible threat.”

Threatening messages had been found written in the bathrooms of Mt. Pleasant High School.

A threat found on Dec. 3 resulted in an early release at 1 p.m. Another threat was found around 20 minutes before dismissal on Dec. 7 which resulted in classrooms being dismissed one-by-one with the presence of law enforcement.

On Thursday, Dec. 9, a threat was found written on the bathroom wall at Mt. Pleasant Middle School.

“The building went into secure mode while administrators and law enforcement investigated and determined

it was not a credible threat,” Verleger said.

While most of the threats were not found to be credible, MPPS and the authorities are taking these threats seriously and are continuing to investigate sources.

“We have zero tolerance for threats, intimidation, harassment, or violence at Mt. Pleasant Public Schools,” Verleger said. “I would like to again ask our families and parents to remind their children that engaging in threatening behavior or bringing a weapon to school can result in serious consequences including expulsion from school.”

MPPS’S partners from the Mt. Pleasant Police Department will continue to have a regular presence at the school buildings. This includes greeting students in the mornings and dismissing them from the high school and middle school.

The importance of reporting any threatening behavior, whether it occurs on school grounds, after school or on social media, has also been stressed.

“We want to make sure our students feel comfortable reporting any potential threats to a trusted adult,” Verleger said. “Anyone from our community can report tips confidentially 24-7 through OK2SAY, a statewide student safety program. You can submit a tip by calling 8-555-OK2SAY, texting 652729 (OK2SAY), or emailing Ok2say@mi.gov. All tips will be reviewed and investigated.”

For more information, visit mtpleasantschools.net.