Student group pushes for Oakland County classes to move online as threats continue

A group of students from Oakland County has filed a petition at change.org to have school moved online this week while threats against public schools continue in the wake of the Oxford High School shooting.

The petition, filed Dec. 6, says the "continuous circulation of threats made to schools within Oakland County...have induced fear and taken an emotional toll on all students, making in-person learning essentially useless."

As of Monday at noon, more than 10,000 people had signed the petition which seeks the change to remote learning until winter break begins for most schools on Dec. 20.

The petition also demands that school officials from Oakland County release "detailed and concrete plans" for keeping students safe in district buildings prior to the return to in-person school which is scheduled in most districts on Jan. 3.

On Monday, police were investigating a threat made against the West Bloomfield School District on social media.

Parents and families of students were notified before 9 a.m. that the district was on lockdown due to threats, and they received notification around 9:45 to pick up students from school.

In the week since a shooting at Oxford High School killed four students and wounded seven people, schools in southeast Michigan have experienced a rash of social media threats followed by arrests of students found with guns, authorities said. 

More than two dozen people have been charged in Wayne County in connection to school threats or bringing weapons to school, and the number of cases is expected to rise, local prosecutors said Monday. Charges have also been filed in Oakland and Macomb counties.

jchambers@detroitnews.com