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Several school districts closed Thursday out of precaution due to online threats in wake of Oxford attack

By David Komer online producer and Jack Nissen
Updated  December 1, 2021 11:27pm EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

School closures reported out of an abundance of caution following copycat shooting threats

A handful of school districts around Metro Detroit have canceled classes as a precaution following online rumors of threats after Tuesday's mass shooting at Oxford High School.

FOX 2 - Several school districts will be closed Thursday out of precaution over online threats that have been posted on social media. Both districts and police departments from across Southeast Michigan were working to verify the validity of the posts following Tuesday's mass shooting at Oxford High School.

In Sterling Heights, threats were found written on the bathroom wall of the Heritage Junior High School. The school will have a heightened police presence Thursday. The school sent a letter to parents saying it was working with police to find who wrote the threat.

Among the largest schools that won't have class Thursday include Rochester, Troy, Clarkston, and Walled Lake. A full list can be found here.

A statement by Rochester schools said there was no credible threat, but that safety was a priority.

"There have been rumors circulating on social media indicating that other high schools may be at risk of experiencing a tragedy similar to the one that occurred recently at Oxford High School. At Rochester Community Schools, we take all threats very seriously," it said.

There have been no details as far as the Troy school district, but it sent a notice that school was closed for Thursday, Dec. 2.

At Holly Schools, classes were canceled for the remainder of the week due to "multiple reports of a potential shooting threat on social media," the district said in a statement.

"At this point our police department has deemed the threat not credible due to a lack of evidence," it said. "But given the extraordinary circumstances, we would like to take the next two days to ask our community to please share any information regarding any threats with school administration or the Holly police department at (248) 858-4911."

RELATED: School closings page

In one case Wednesday a student was found with a weapon at the Southfield Regional Academic Campus. There were no injuries and the 12th grader was taken into custody by Southfield police. 

"Over the past hour, BHS and other communities across the region have received numerous reports of threats of violence circulating on social media. Out of an abundance of caution, all BHS schools will be closed on Thursday, December 2, 2021. All after school activities are also canceled," read a post from the Bloomfield Hills Schools superintendent.