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Oakland County students launch petition to move school virtual amid constant wave of threats

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Published  December 13, 2021 5:30pm EST
Oxford High School Shooting
FOX 2 Detroit

Oakland County students start petition for remote learning after school threats

Oakland County students are pushing for classes to be virtual after a wave of threats that have followed the Oxford High School shooting.

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (Fox 2) - In the 13 days since the Oxford High School shooting, hundreds of schools have been navigating how to continue classes amid threats of similar violence. In Oakland County, thousands are pushing to make schools virtual.

RELATED: 20 students charged for threats made against Metro Detroit schools

The constant threats to local school districts are being taken seriously by law enforcement and administrators. Look no further than Thursday's lockdown at Plymouth-Canton Education Park when upwards of 6,000 students were kept inside the three high schools for several hours as police investigated a threat of a person with a gun.

A weapon wasn't found.

Now students are leading an online petition to request all Oakland County Schools go virtual until winter break - or until the threats are addressed.

More: Almost 3,000 tips reported to OK2SAY since Oxford High School shooting

While the students may be in support of virtual, parents have mixed feelings.

"It’s a really tough question on that because I feel like that’s really taking us back from what we had to go through last year," Rachelle Dabrowski said.

"There’s a lot of fear among the students and the kids. That’s legit. Parents as well. I do think these kids need to be live as often as possible for proper learning to occur," Haley Lockwood said.

The Oakland County Students Coalition started the petition last week on Change.org. By Monday, it had more than 10,000 signatures, 5,000 short of its goal.

Novi's assistant superintendent of schools Dr. RJ Webber said the district has no plans to go virtual in the final week before winter break.

"One, I applaud the student agency right now. I think our students are telling us as a society, they are fed up," Dr. Webber said. "We have no direct threats in the Novi Community School District. That does not mean; however, that all of our brothers and sisters in education….haven’t been impacted."

At the Oakland Schools administration building in Waterford, a spokeswoman said they are aware of the petition but said going virtual is a decision made by districts.