Police investigate perceived threat, determine students safe

Police have determined Tuscola schools are safe following an investigation into a perceived threat in a social media post made by a student.

The post, made Sunday evening, was reported to school administration.

“Upon receiving the information, the high school administration immediately contacted the Tuscola Police Department,” said a letter to parents late Monday morning. “The Tuscola Police Department proceeded to investigate all leads by meeting with students and parents/guardians linked to the social media post. The Tuscola Police Department determined there is not a direct threat to any school within the district or any CUSD 301 student.”

While following student confidentiality guidelines, the school administration, the local police and Mayor Dan Kleiss handled the situation immediately. The students who made the post were not at school today.

“There was (an) increased police presence at the high school this morning and will continue to be during the lunch period and time of dismissal,” the letter said. “The building’s electronic entrances are always secured outside of these times and building access has to be granted through the office.

“Our efforts afforded us the opportunity to insure a safe and secure start to our school day while working diligently throughout the evening to make sure there was a visible police presence today,” the letter continued. “We cannot share all of our details of our school safety plan; however, one of the most important aspects is communication. In this specific case, communication between students and staff allowed us to address an immediate safety concern. Please continue to have conversations at home (about) school and personal safety emphasizing the importance of following the guidelines ‘If you see/hear something–say something.’ This is one of our first lines of insuring a safe and secure school environment.”

This story will be updated as more information is available.