Ferndale Schools will be resuming classes on Tuesday after the high school and middle school were closed Monday following an alleged threat that was posted online over the weekend.
Ferndale police say a 16-year-old female student has been arrested in connection to those social media threats against Ferndale High School.
“We take threats of violence against our community and students incredibly seriously,” said Ferndale Police Captain David Spellman in a press release. “In this case, we feel confident that the threat has been neutralized and the suspect poses no ongoing danger to the community.”
Ferndale Schools Superintendent Bobbie Hayes Goodrum stated that the schools will be open tomorrow with an increased police presence.
"To our student body I want to be very clear. Making threats against an individual or our school family, is not only unacceptable, but also a felony in the State of Michigan that is punishable by up to 20 years in jail. If you are considering making a threat on social media, don't," she wrote in a letter to families.
7 Action News has learned three anonymous posts were on Instagram late Sunday night that forced the schools to shut down. Someone had threatened to bring three loaded weapons into the building, and even posted a hitlist of students they would target.
School threats are becoming a troubling and trigger trend, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who sat down with our Kim Russell last month.
"How often are you getting these threats?" she asked.
"Every day something happens," he said.
Despite the frequency, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald warns about normalizing the behavior.
"Stop being desensitized that we accept this as part of our society. I am never going to accept that this is part of our society," she said.
Following the deadly shooting at Oxford High School last November, charges were filed against 12 students in Wayne County, five students in Macomb County and two students in Oakland County by mid-December. Those numbers are once again rising.
