GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Kent County Sheriff's Office, alongside School Resource Officers and Detectives, has investigated the threats made to Forest Hills Northern High School and found them not to be a threat to the school or the students.
Forest Hills Northern High School was closed Wednesday as staff investigated a tip.
In a letter to parents sent out Tuesday night, Principal Heather McKinney-Rewa said the tip was received through OK2SAY around 11:15 p.m. OK2SAY is the anonymous tip line run by the Michigan State Police that allows students to submit information on threats or other concerns.
Superintendent Ben Kirby addressed the complete situation in a letter to families on Wednesday.
Kirby said on Monday, Sept. 30 at the end of sixth hour, NHS's administrative team was informed of the first potential threat.
According to Kirby, an immediate investigation was launched by NHS administrators, the School Resource Officer and KCSO. During the investigation, Kirby said NHS administration and law enforcement followed up on rumors about a potential list with student names. However, he said the list didn't exist. It was determined there wasn't a threat and school continued as normal.
Then, close to midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 1, school officials were notified of another tip on OK2SAY that was explicitly related to only one school, NHS.
Kirby said because they didn't have enough time and information to investigate the tip before the start of the school day, so they canceled school on Wednesday out of an abundance of caution.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2 around 1:30 a.m. NHS families received notification the school was closed for the day.
Kirby said knowing closing one school impacts the entire FHPS district, all FHPS families were notified of the situation.
Once the investigation on Oct. 2 was completed, KCSO released the following statement:
“In the last couple of days, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and Forest Hills Northern High School have received verbal tips, along with one tip through OK2SAY, about threats to the safety of the students. School Resource Officers and Detectives have conducted a thorough investigation and found there is no threat to the school or its students. We are thankful for the information that came in and the opportunity to investigate and ensure a safe environment. We continue to encourage students, staff, and our community to utilize OK2SAY to anonymously and safely report any threat.”
Kirby said he wanted to remind parents that the school is a secure environment and the safety of students remains their top priority each day.
"We deeply appreciate that you entrust us with your most precious asset—your children," Kirby said in the letter to parents. "This trust is something we never take lightly. We share your concerns about any potential threats, and we want to assure you that we will do everything in our power to keep our students safe while they are at school. Together, we can create a secure and nurturing environment where our students can thrive and reach their full potential."
