Student admits to writing threat on bathroom wall at Renton Junior High School Monday

By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com
Posted Monday, Dec. 13, 2021

A 12-year-old student was taken into custody Monday after they admitted to police that they wrote a threat on a bathroom wall inside Renton Junior High School in New Boston.

At 12:30 p.m. Monday, a student told school staff about a threat to “shoot this school up” written on a bathroom at the school.

The Huron Township Police Department school liaison officer was immediately notified by school administration, and within 15 minutes, a 12-year-old middle school student was taken into custody.

Police say the student admitted to writing the threat.

The student’s locker and belongings were searched and no weapons were located.

The student’s parents were notified, and the investigation is ongoing.

The case will be sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review and possible charges filed.

The juvenile will be held in custody pending that review.

“We have worked hard to have a strong visible presence in and around our schools in an effort to make parents and students feel safe. We will continue that presence,” said Everette Robbins, Huron Township director of public safety.

“This investigation resulted in a quick resolution due to the staff at Renton Junior High and we thank them for their quick response and assistance. We will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy regarding threats of any kind to our schools and our students, period. Once again, we ask parents to have this discussion with your children at home tonight. We all want the same thing for our children, a safe and comfortable learning environment within our great school districts.”

Donovan Rowe, superintendent of Huron School District, released a statement Monday afternoon regarding the threat.

“This afternoon, graffiti was written in one of the restrooms at Renton Jr. High School that caused concern for our team. The Huron Township Police Department was called in to investigate, and the student responsible was in custody within 15 minutes of the report. Using our surveillance equipment, we were able to determine the identity of the student who wrote the graffiti, and the student admitted responsibility. The Huron School District has zero tolerance for this type of behavior, and the student is being disciplined accordingly. In addition, the student has been taken into custody by the Huron Township Police Department. Please talk to your son or daughter, stressing the importance and potential impact that their language can have on the school community, whether that is in the form of a verbal statement, note, graffiti, or social media post. Please take time to reinforce that jokes about threats and/or threatening language of any kind in a school setting is not funny and will be taken seriously by school officials and law enforcement,” Rowe said.