'Shoot up' threat found at Dakota High School, student claimed to have gun

(WJBK) - The Macomb County Sheriff's Office said extra deputies were stationed at Dakota High School after a threat was found in one of the boys' bathrooms on Thursday and that they heard a second threat while there.

According to the sheriff's office, a threat was written on a urinal that said "shoot up the school on 2-15-18". The threat was found Thursday and deputies were immediately called.

No credible information could be found, however. Other than the writing, there was nothing further reported regarding the threat and deputies said more than 100 boys had been in and out of the bathroom throughout the day. 

School continued as normal for Friday and extra deputies were on school grounds. That's when they said several students claimed to hear a ninth grade student saying he had a gun with him in school.

The student is being investigating and no gun has been located.

The sheriff's office said it is still investigating both incidents and do not believe the two are related. 

Later on Friday, the school released a statement confirming authorities have investigated two school threats since the Florida high school shooting, but neither was deemed credible. 

The school also released a letter to parents assuring students are safe. You can read the letter in full below: 

Dear Dakota Parents and Guardians,

We have heard reports of rumors being spread on social media today about our school. We are writing to you to let you know that our students are safe and that we take all reports of school threats very seriously. Rest assured we would never have students in school if we felt it wasn’t safe. 

Unfortunately, since the Florida high school incident we have investigated two situations on our campus involving our students.  A student wrote graffiti in a boy’s restroom that was sent out via Snapchat to others.  Another student was said to have made concerning remarks about having a gun to others.  Both situations were investigated by police and our administrative team and were deemed not credible. 

Parents, we ask that you talk to your child about the serious consequences involved with making threats at school. Any student involved in activities like these will face serious school consequences, including the possibility of permanent expulsion.

At Dakota High School we are committed to providing our students, staff and families with a wonderful and safe learning environment.  Every member of the Dakota High School team is committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for our students.  Keeping our schools safe is a collaborative effort involving students, parents, staff, community members, and law enforcement personnel.

Thank you for taking the time to reinforce these important messages at home.  Please spend some time taking to your child about your expectations for behavior at school and at home.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.