Lakeshore Schools Report Three More ‘Safety Situations’ | Stevensville

STEVENSVILLE – Officials at Lakeshore Public School have announced that a new round of “security situations” that arose this week are being investigated by police.
In a statement released to parents in Lakeshore on Wednesday, Superintendent Greg Eding addressed three reported incidents in which students made threatening gestures and a weapon was found in a school parking lot. The incidents took place at three different school properties.
The first incident involved a middle school student using hand gestures, in the form of a gun, pretending to shoot a teacher as he had his back to him in a classroom on Tuesday.
Eding said the incident was reported to the Lincoln Township Police Department, who, along with the Lakeshore administration, investigated the situation and determined the student was joking. In Wednesday’s statement, Eding said the police were following their procedures and “proper school discipline” would be distributed.
“We are following our student manual on all of these incidents,” Eding told the Herald-Palladium by phone Wednesday, “but I don’t like to go into detail on the discipline.”
The second incident happened on Tuesday after school hours at Roosevelt Elementary School.
During the afternoon dismissal, a scabbard knife was found in the school parking lot. Eding said it looked like the knife had fallen from a vehicle. Putting together video footage and conversations with area staff, Eding said he identified a student’s parent as the owner of the knife.
“This parent feels bad about the situation, especially given the current security concerns,” Eding said in a statement to the parents. “Following the protocol, the incident was reported to the police.”
The third incident, which was reported on Wednesday, involved a high school student pretending to shoot other students in the class using an unidentified object.
Eding said the incident was reported to Lincoln Township Police, who are investigating the situation. The investigation is ongoing and the appropriate school discipline will be followed.
“It remains vitally important to remind our community that if you see something, say something,” Eding said in the statement. “Please talk with your children about the importance of communicating with adults if they see or hear anything suspicious. Also make sure your children understand that we take all safety matters seriously; there are no jokes or pranks. “
Lakeshore Schools use the OK2SAY Tip Program, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any suspicious activity can be reported by calling 855-565-2729, texting 652729, or sending an email to [email protected]
The district has already investigated three different security situations, including one where a student at Lakeshore Middle School brought an airsoft gun to school last week.
“Most of these (incidents) appear to be innocent, but kids need to understand that this needs to be taken seriously,” Lincoln Township Police Chief Gary Soper said on Wednesday.
Many schools in southwest Michigan have come under threats since the Oxford High School shooting on November 30.
Most recently, St. Joseph’s Public Schools canceled their high school classes on Tuesday and Wednesday after threatening graffiti was discovered in three bathrooms.
On Wednesday, the St. Joseph student suspected of writing the threats is being housed in a juvenile detention center and faces a terrorist threat charge.