Recent Rumors of Violence in L'Anse Creuse Prove Unfounded, Superintendent Says

Rumors of violence have circulated in L'Anse Creuse and Chippewa Valley schools, but the districts have chosen to heighten their security rather than cancel classes.

Despite snow in the forecast, the weather wasn't the reason several Michigan school districts canceled classes Friday. The cancellation was due, in part, to rumors of violence at the schools. These rumors are similar to ones reported in L'Anse Creuse Public Schools. On Wednesday, LCPS Superintendent Jackie Johnston sent out a message to parents informing them of rumors that had been going around in the school. "Perhaps in light of the tragic events that occurred in Connecticut last week, there have been a number of rumors circulating on social media," the message said. "These rumors have been thoroughly investigated by administration with the help of local authorities. All rumors are unfounded." Johnston stressed that the district is …

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James Coller

9:57 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012

As a L'Anse Creuse North student, I know that in my experience classroom doors are supposed to be locked at all times, but rarely are due to the inconvenience to constantly have students knocking on the door to be let in. Lately though, as the article states, the school has been making sure that the policy is followed. I personally feel really safe at my school since every door is locked except …   more ›

Dakota Lockdown Sparks Call for More School-to-Parent Communication

In the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and a lockdown at Dakota Tuesday, local parents say increased communication with their own schools, especially in emergency situations, wouldn't go unappreciated.

UPDATE: According to a text notification from Dakota High School Wednesday, a mail out regarding the lockdown was sent at 4:24 p.m. Tuesday. The notice was resent Wednesday after administrators learned not all parents had received it.  Even after the lockdown at Dakota High School was lifted Tuesday and the initial threat deemed false, parents following the story continued to raise a common question on Patch: Why wasn't I notified? With the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School still an all too recent memory, local parents are calling for increased communication with their own schools, especially in emergency situations. Read more: Chippewa Valley Schools to Remain on Modified Lockdown This Week; Other Districts Up Own Security "…

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Snyder Vetoes Bill That Would Have Allowed Guns in Schools

Macomb Township's Republican legislators supported the bill that would have allowed concealed weapons in gun-free zones such as schools and sports arenas.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has vetoed a bill that would have allowed concealed weapons into public schools and sports arenas, according to a report on Michigan Public Radio. The Michigan Legislature passed Senate Bill 59 late last week that would have allowed concealed weapons in gun-free zones, but in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, CT, many had called for Snyder to veto the legislation. David Hecker, Michigan President of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said in a Friday statement, "We’re aghast that this lame duck legislature thinks it’s a good idea to put MORE guns in our schools, let alone places of worship or sports arenas...The House passed SB 59 on Thursday. How dare these lame duck legislators put the safety of …

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See What Readers Are Saying About Allowing Concealed Weapons in Schools, Other No-Gun Zones

In a recent poll, 70 percent of Clinton and Macomb Township Patch readers said Gov. Rick Snyder should sign legislation allowing concealed weapons in Michigan schools, daycares, arenas and other "no-gun zones."

How Are You Talking to Your Children About the Newtown School Shooting?

A national expert offers advice to Macomb Township parents who are trying to explain Friday's events to their children.

How do you talk with your children about the Sandy Hook school shooting without traumatizing or frightening them? That's the question Macomb Township parents are sure to be asking themselves and one another in the wake of Friday's tragedy. What do you tell them? How much detail to you tell them? How do you help them make sense of what they may already have heard from friends or on television, or read via social media? Lauren Hutchinson, MA, LMFT, is a nationally-recognized child and family therapist and parenting coach with a practice in Bellevue, WA. She says the first step is for parents is to “turn off the TV”. “We don’t want to have the TV playing in the background all the time. It isn’t helpful and the news is traumatizing for kids to…

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L'Anse Creuse Addresses Own School Security in Wake of Connecticut Shooting

L'Anse Creuse Public Schools Superintendent Jackie Johnston addressed the district's own "rigorous safety procedures" in a letter to parents Friday.

School districts across the country, including L'Anse Creuse Public Schools, are reviewing their security policies this week in the wake of the tragic shooting at a Newtown, CT, elementary school Friday. “There are no words to express the heartbreak coming from the tragic shooting today at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut," wrote LCPS Superintendent Jackie Johnston wrote on the district's Facebook page. "Though it is far away from our neighborhoods there is no doubt each one of us is filled with despair while the nation morns this dreadful incident." In a letter to parents Friday, Johnston reiterated these thoughts and assured parents that the district's own security procedures will continue to be practiced and refined for the…

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