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AG Nessel Issues Video Outlining Potential Punishments for Making School Threats-video
Craig Routzahn
Wed, 05 Jan 2022 08:51:32 EST
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a new video Tuesday that highlights the seriousness of making threats against schools. The Michigan Department of Education will be sharing the video with districts for additional awareness and distribution.
"In recent weeks, threats of violence have been reported at schools across Michigan," Nessel says in the video. "Local law enforcement agencies have reported threats on social media that number in the hundreds within their own communities. As a result, kids in our state have missed valuable days of instruction as school administrators are forced to close buildings to keep kids safe."
In the video, Nessel explains the potential charges one could face if they make a threat of violence, which include:
communicating a threat of terrorism, 20-year felony;
calling in a bomb threat, a four-year felony;
malicious use of a telecommunications device, a six-month misdemeanor; and
threatening violence against school employee or student, a one-year misdemeanor.
"Threatening the lives of students and staff, whether with intent to harm or simply to disrupt, is an outrage, particularly in the wake of the tragedy in Oxford," State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said. "Our students and staff should feel safe in our schools, and anyone that threatens that safety should be subject to swift and significant consequences."
