On Monday, the Okemos Board of Education held its first public meeting following an incident last week in which high school students were evacuated following a false active shooter report.
The Feb. 7 incident at Okemos High School turned out to be an apparently coordinated hoax that impacted several Michigan school districts.
Multiple law enforcement agencies swept the building as students were shuttled offsite to be reunited with their parents.
At the Monday board meeting, Superintendent John Hood thanked all who responded.
Visibly shaken, Hood fought back tears as he spoke about a statistic he’d read that said 80% of all school shootings involve a weapon found within a student’s home.
“So, my plea…secure your firearms,” Hood said. “Lock your firearms up. Make sure your kids don’t have access.”
Superintendent John Hood publicly recognized those who worked to secure every student.
Okemos Public Schools has recently received a state grant that will fund a school resource officer that will be supplied by the Meridian Township Police Department.
Hood says the district also has a state grant that will fund a digital mapping program to aid first responders.
“So, what that does is map the interior of all our buildings, so when law enforcement and first responders respond, they know the exact layout and architecture of the building so they can get help where it needs to be done pretty quickly.”
