Letter from Superintendent About Lockdown
Please see the below letter from ECS superintendent Christina Gibson.
Good afternoon ECS families,
We are communicating today with additional information on yesterday’s lockdown, as the Eastpointe Police Department has since been able to publicly release additional information related to their investigations.
Yesterday, Eastpointe High School received an anonymous call reporting a video circulating on social media that may have shown a student making a threat. Eastpointe police were already present in the building following an unrelated incident, and called for additional support in light of the anonymous call. Multiple local police departments responded.
At this time, officers and building administration locked down the building and began searching classrooms, lockers, and students for any evidence of a threat. As this search progressed, another call was made from the same number from an unknown female who wanted the school to be aware of the video and the potential threat.
About an hour later, a call came into the high school from an unknown male, who made an additional threat against the building. Authorities were present and listening in the office when the call was received. The thorough search of the building continued, and no weapons or parts of weapons were found in the building or on any student. Students were then safely released from the building in groups around their normal dismissal time.
Earlier in the day, a container of airsoft pellets was accidentally turned in with a laptop bag during Chromebook returns. This container had already been turned over to a Dean of Students and secured, and we do not believe they are connected to the social media video.
Last night, an email threat was sent to four staff members at the high school. Students were identified, and both parents and police were notified. Police are in communication with these families, and these students were not present in school at the request of administration.
Eastpointe Police Department advised School Administration there was no evidence to prove the threats received were credible. We will continue to coordinate with local law enforcement as their investigations continue.
We applaud the staff, students, families, and community members who have provided us with additional information, and who made yesterday’s lockdown go as smoothly as can be expected. We appreciate the professionalism and calm of our staff, as well as the maturity of our students, in reacting to a difficult and rapidly changing situation yesterday.
We will continue to keep you informed should any new information be made available. Thank you again for your patience and cooperation as we work to keep our students and staff safe.
