Flint, MI— Flint Community Schools officials announced the district, alongside all districts in Genesee County, will close Friday, Dec. 3 out of “an abundance of caution” due threats received throughout the county, including a threat to “shoot up” Flint Southwestern Academy.

On Dec. 2, a 17-year-old student posted a video online where she rapped about shooting up  Southwestern “like Oxford,” according to a press release from Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.

An assistant principal was alerted to the incident and made a report to the Flint police, the press release stated.

“Keeping our community informed is essential to the partnership we have developed with you and to ensuring there is an open line of communication….To that end, we wanted to let you know that we did receive a threat at Southwestern Classical Academy this morning and immediately contacted local law enforcement who determined the threat was not credible. We take threats against the school district seriously. Thus, the scholar was detained by the police and further legal action is being considered,” Superintendent Kevelin Jones wrote in a letter to students and families.

The student is being charged as a juvenile with one count of false threat of terrorism and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, each a 20-year felony, according to the press release.

“We recognize that tragic events like the recent shooting at Oxford High School often result in an increase of threat warnings to all school districts across the state and nationwide. Our hearts are with the Oxford community and those impacted during this difficult time,” Jones said.  

He encouraged students and families to talk together about safety and asked parents to teach their children how to “report threats responsibly.”

Threats can be reported to the State of Michigan’s Okay2Say tip line at 8-555-OK2SAY or OKAY2SAY@mi.gov.

Due to the district closure, the community forum set to take place at Pierce Elementary Dec. 3 is cancelled.

In-person instruction will resume Monday, Dec. 6.

Carmen Nesbitt is a journalist with diverse experience in news reporting and feature writing. She wrote for Hour Detroit and SEEN Magazine before joining the Flint Beat news team as an education and public...

2 replies on “Flint Schools close Dec. 3 following shooting threat at Southwestern Academy”

  1. I pray that this girl doesn’t get more time then the white kid that actually killed people. These kids talk smack all the time she should definitely be punished and her circle of friends investigated. The oxford killer should be tried as an adult period. Disgusting these parents knew he was sick. But maybe his parents are sick to. Considering how stupid it was not to buy a gun but to post about it and not lock it up. Knowing there child was threatening people already. Guns dont kill people people will always find a way to get a weapon weather or not there legal. The black market or dealers do not do back ground checks. And the dad that got the gun got it to easily. I think there should be back ground checks on all people. I had to get one for my guns. And there all locked up. Properly with ammo separate. And only the parents know where the key is. Teaching kids hunting skills would also solve alot of this because they would learn to respect guns. But with this young messed up man he was disturbed in many ways. Some people are just killers. What do u do about that lock up everyone so know one gets hurt. Of course not but thats what it sounds like everytime something like this happens. Attacks on our gun rights every time. People that follow the law pay for the killers actions. Prayers for the families that list there children. Prayers for there follow students and teachers. Prayers for our country its getting crazy.

  2. I think she needs counseling for sure not facing 20 years for each charge. Quick ? Why say the white kid. Why not say the kid that killed people. It saddens me that we use color to identify a person? Sending prayers to to the families who lost loved ones and for those who are recovering from this and for the kids at the school who seen this

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