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Frankenmuth News

Serving Frankenmuth Since 1906

Vol. 112 No. 15 In our 112th year!

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

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Threat investigation continues at Frankenmuth School District

    The Frankenmuth Police continue to investigate a possible threat of violence in the Frankenmuth School District last week.

  The incident began around 6pm Thursday, October 13, when the FPD was contacted by the Michigan State Police who were monitoring a software platform called Ok2Say, an anonymous tip line where persons can anonymously report issues of violence at schools.

  Frankenmuth School District Superintendent Adele Martin shared a mass call with parents early Friday morning.

  “Last night, we received an anonymous tip through the OK2Say tip line informing us that student overheard individuals joking about a potential threat. That student did the best possible thing and informed an adult who then reported it to the tip line, and our liaison officer (Tim Smith) was notified,” Martin said.

   The threat was mentioned to be at E.F. Rittmueller Middle School.

  “We take all threats seriously until proven otherwise,” Martin said.

  FPD Chief Don Mawer said the only downfall to that tip line is that the police had no option to talk with the caller.

  The FPD moved swiftly into action, working through the issues and what they could face through the night and into the morning.

  The local police and school district administrators have a safety plan which was implemented, all with a primary goal of safety. They also worked with a special threat assessment team.

 “We enacted a number of safety precautions before school, to get out ahead of it,” Mawer said.

  The two organizations deemed the threat “not credible but concerning,” with officers on campus Friday to observe and assess the situation, to obtain additional information in order to complete their investigation and identify those responsible, and to ensure the students have a normal school day and safe learning environment.

  Friday had many interesting intangibles going on. First, it was Friday the 13^th, it was Homecoming, the students were to be dismissed at 11:35am (end of the marking period) and the FSD Hall of Fame Luncheon was held at noon at the Bronner Performing Arts Center.

 The first hour saw “secure mode” activated, which suspends all unnecessary movement and keeps the students in the classrooms, where they are supposed to be, Mawer pointed out.

  Mawer added his officers are working on a couple leads to see if the allegations were actually made.

  “There is a positive thing that came out of this.  I think it speaks highly of our community that they have the confidence in the school and our local police because student attendance was really high that day. It speaks highly of the training we do with the school and both organizations did exactly was they needed to do,” Mawer stated. “This was not a controlled, table-top exercise, this was the real deal. We constantly work to get better, with response times and other details.”

  The state police also added some assistance with the incident.

  “We are grateful to the parent and student who did exactly what we ask: If you see something, say something. Their action, and the subsequent response of the Frankenmuth Police Department, has allowed us to assess the situation and put specific measures in place to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” Martin said.