TECUMSEH, Mich. — Students at all Tecumseh Public Schools buildings were sheltered in place Tuesday due to a threat of violence against the school.
According to Superintendent Matt Hilton, it all started with a disgruntled former student posting, "I am going to shoot up the schools," on a social media platform with a Tecumseh IP address. Hilton said this caught the attention of Tecumseh police, who immediately notified the district, sending out a message to parents around noon that all of their schools were about to shelter in place.
Officers were able to trace the IP address of the person who posted the message, finding no weapons in the home and determining this was not a credible threat.
"After questioning the former TPS student, authorities determined that the individual did not have the means to carry out the threat," the district said.
"We want to clarify that the district was in a shelter-in-place, not a lockdown. A lockdown occurs when a threat is present on campus. During this shelter-in-place, instruction continued as usual and there was no immediate danger," the superintendent said.
Hilton said he believes they handled the event to the best of their ability, but said the continuing trend of school threats is alarming, to say the least.
"It's disconcerting, certainly, right?" Hilton said. "This is a moment for us here in Tecumseh Public Schools that is like many moments for school districts in southeastern Michigan, Michigan and all over the country. It raises people's anxiety level for the safety of their children, as it should."
Hilton said he was unsure if the person who posted the message was charged or not. The district said all activities scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 24, will proceed as planned.
Hilton said they will continue to do their due diligence and take every threat seriously.
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