- A Michigan teacher was arrested after being accused of placing inappropriate handwritten notes in multiple teacher work areas, WDIV-TV reported.
- District officials said one of the notes was threatening and "appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in the hope of closing school."
- The arrest comes as schools across the country are on edge following the deadly Oxford High School shooting.
An employee at a Michigan middle school was arrested Friday after she was accused of leaving multiple inappropriate handwritten notes in faculty work areas, the Detroit Free Press reported.
District officials said the Jefferson Middle School staffer, who was placed on administrative leave, was captured on school surveillance footage, the Free Press reported. The identity of the employee has been concealed pending charges, the report said, though, in an interview with the Free Press, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido referred to the suspect as "she" and described the employee as a teacher.
In one of the notes, there "appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in the hope of closing school," Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent Karl Paulson said in a letter to the school community, WDIV-TV reported.
"Based on the facts, information, and timeline, the team was confident everyone was safe, and there was no need for initiating any lockdown or other safety protocols," Paulson said, calling the alleged threats "unacceptable," according to the report.
The arrest comes after major concern around school violence and the Oxford High School shooting — which took place about 42 miles away from Jefferson Middle School and left four students dead. Schools and law enforcement across the country are closely monitoring threats at schools. Earlier this month, police said an Iowa teacher was arrested for leaving threatening handwritten notes on school grounds.
Last week, schools in at least 10 states warned parents of possible violence, citing videos posted to social-media platform TikTok.
Local police in St. Clair Shores are investigating the Michigan incident and local prosecutors confirmed with the Detroit Free Press that there was enough evidence collected so far to charge the suspect.
"Of course, she's innocent until proven guilty, and all of this will come out in court. But this doesn't help with everything that's been going on recently," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido told the Free Press. "If you've got teachers making threats, how safe do you think the parents are going to think that school is?"